I am good but not an angel.

Sometimes it was nice to drink somewhere other than Eden's. But one thing that didn't change just because he was in a different setting was that sometimes guys were creeps. Even before the woman approached his table, Leo thought he'd noticed something off about the woman and the guy who seemed pretty persistent. And the more he watched them, the more sure he was that this woman did not want to talk to him. However, Leo wasn't about to swoop in and try to play the hero because that was annoying too. If he really needed to, he would, but for now he just sipped his drink.

She felt her heart pounding as if it were about to burst from her chest. She tried to hide her nervousness, but when the unknown man played her game, she breathed a sigh of relief and, without saying a word, only moved her lips in a gesture of thank you.

open starter !!! where: amour fine dining.

Eating dinner alone was something Natalie quickly got used to. Even though she had lived here for three years, she still had few friends, and she could even say she had no one. She was just waiting for the waitress to be able to order anything, but looking forward to it, she decided to go alone and order something to eat

It was embarrassingly easy to sneak past the front gate at Port Carroll. It almost felt like it was that way on purpose, like they were watching him, and would intervene if they thought he was up to something. But then what was the point of a security gate, Daniel wondered? Did these rich folk pay so much extra for the false sense of security the gate provided?

For as long as Natalie can remember, this neighborhood has always irritated her. She chose it to live in, loving the affluent lifestyle, but there was nothing more irritating than the abundance of houses and apartments and the sheer number of residents or passersby. It was as if wealthy people avoided any contact with anyone.

Elby laughed; the stranger had a point. Dogs didn't deserve this comparison! These jokes bought Elby an extra second to get used to the idea of actual human bones being scattered around the very town she lived in. Maybe if she hadn't seen how cruel nature could be, she would be more shocked, but she had seen so much already and even found a dead body during one of her hikes. A guy has fallen to his death, and no one even knew he had left rock climbing. What a horrible memory it was... — She nodded at the description. "I'll ask around. I don't know this dog either. Or maybe..." She hesitated. "I'll have to check something, and I'll let you know. Maybe I have seen that dog," she added, oh-so-mysterious.

Natalie couldn't hide the relief that spread across her face. The news that the woman might know the dog wasn't certain, but it offered a small glimmer of hope. This was already a very good omen. However, Natalie had fled her work with human remains; she didn't know why she was so concerned about this discovery. Perhaps the FBI wouldn't ask for her help at all, and she would be able to continue living her quiet life and writing more bestselling books? "I'd be grateful if you could find out anything about that dog. It would help with the case," she replied with a smile, and hearing the woman's question, her smile widened. "I used to do that. But I got tired of human corpses and decided to lose myself in writing books. However..." she sighed, looking at the bones and waved her hand. It wasn't her problem. Let the feds handle it. "But it's hard to escape it when your entire scientific career was based on it. I've lived here for three years and I'm Natalie. And you?" she added with a hint of amusement, as if human bones were something people discussed every day. Like the weather, for example.

he nods his head in approval at her drink of choice. ironically enough, despite making drinks himself, he hasn't had a mojito in what feels like forever. "oh, that's a good choice! i also like the spicy mojitos. not everyone's cup of tea, but those are so good." really, he could do with any cold drink right now. it was calling his name at this point. sonny pretends to think about it for a moment, but it feels like a no brainer. "you drive a hard bargain... but okay, i'll buy you one. sharing is caring. you just have to promise not to laugh if i start singing on like, my third drink. i get invested in lip sync battles, okay?" he was only partially joking. he didn't mind either way, and he didn't want to drink alone, so it was fine to him. sonny grins at her in his usual amiable manner. "i'm sonny. not with a 'u', but with an 'o'." maybe clarifying that was silly, but he did it anyway.

"A spicy mojito, you say?" she pursed her lips into a smile and narrowed her eyes, imagining what such a drink might taste like. She'd never had one, never even heard of it. In life, you have to try everything, even new drink flavors. Hearing that her new friend had accepted her suggestion, she smiled broadly and clapped her hands. "In that case, I'll order a spicy mojito. It sounds interesting, and I hope it tastes the same." She winked at Sonny and rose from the bench, gesturing for him to do the same. "I heard there's a great bar near the beach, maybe you'd like to check out Sonny with an o, not a u?" She raised an eyebrow with a smile, placing her hands on her hips. "But don't be surprised if I call you Sunny someday with an u. And you can't beat me in singing, I can assure you."

@nat-choi

The calm ocean waters had a strangely relaxing effect on Natalie. Just as she loved watching the storms, which helped her when she was in a bad mood, the calm waves crashing against the shore brought her a sense of inner peace. "Glad you noticed," she smiled at her companion, and as she took a sip from the flask, she took a sip of the contents, then handed it back. "Today I used a new lip balm with glitter particles. I wanted to see if it worked."

Elby had only arrived in Carroll a little over a month ago. She had made a couple of friends, learned the town enough to navigate freely, and yet, there was always something to surprise her.

Natalie looked at the woman who had answered her and, although she was trying very hard to remain professional, she let out a short laugh. "My ex also fits that description perfectly, but let's not insult dogs," she added, still unable to contain the smile that kept appearing on her face. She approached the girl and shrugged as if all hope of finding the thieving dog had vanished. "The dog didn't have a collar, so he's probably a stray. The only other thing I remember is a white tie around his neck and one floppy ear." She raised an eyebrow as if hope had been reborn within her, and spread her arms, losing it again. "No one knows the dog, yet he took human bones that could be key to the case."

where: anywhere outside status: open starter! as summer approached, the california heat was becoming unbearable, even for a southern cali native. in his defense, he spent more than half of his life living in south korea and there, they actually had seasons, so this was... a lot. especially wearing all black like he was right now. he wouldn't be surprised if his black eyeliner is smudged underneath his eyes, but it wouldn't be the first time and it certainly wouldn't be the last. he runs a hand past his hair and exhales. "this california heat is getting bad. it's hot as shit! starting to feel like a fucking pre heated oven kind of deal." his hand brushes over his forehead, mostly to wipe away any possible sweat. thankfully, there wasn't really much at all. "you know what would hit the spot right now? an ice cold piña colada. or even a spicy margarita. or no, no... a coconut refresher, for those non-alcoholic lovers out there! while beach side, of course." he would kill for one of those right now. "what's your icy, drink of choice in hell weather like this?"

Summer was the time Natalie loved the most. Even though she felt like she was being grilled, the warmth was something she adored. Even though she had lived in California for three years, she still remembered how, on more than one occasion, a snowstorm could completely block traffic in Washington, making it difficult to reach the crime scene. Interestingly, more victims were found in winter than in summer.

Conor didn’t normally go running through Port Carroll. He wasn’t totally sure on what the etiquette was for that for people who didn’t live there, plus he knew at least some of the residents might look down on him while he was there. Conor’s usual running attire was a pair of gym shorts and sometimes a shirt, definitely not trendy, designer athletic wear. But it really was beautiful there, and Conor thought he had every right to be there, at least in the public sections. So that was why today he’d chosen Port Carroll for his run. It was a hot one today, and Conor was dripping in sweat, his tank top off and tucked into the waistband of his shorts. Still, despite the heat, it was a beautiful - and uneventful - run. 

Natalie couldn't believe the ignorance of the people passing by. Were they really so blind or self-righteous that they couldn't see human remains, much less a dog running away with human bones? Nat had truly expected much more from this place. At that moment, she realized she'd probably chosen the wrong place to live. She still hoped someone would wake up and see what had happened.