⸻ Having finally hit his target mileage for the morning, Felix brought his grueling cardio routine to a steady halt. Even though he was technically on a mandatory leave from the Zurich Ballet to recover from burnout and grief, a lifetime of elite training made it impossible for him to just sit still. Panting slightly, his skin slick with sweat, he leaned back against the rough bark of a pine tree. He uncaped his water bottle, taking a long swig before pouring a handful over his face to wash away the heat of the trail.

He was just wiping the water from his eyes when he felt a wet snout boldly nudge right between his legs. Felix blinked, looking down in mild surprise at the enthusiastic Australian Shepherd, a soft, spontaneous chuckle escaping him. Dropping to a crouch, his large hands awkwardly but gently patted the dog's head. ❛ Hi mate. How are you doing, love? ❜ Hearing the hurried footsteps and the apologetic voice, Felix straightened up to his full, poised height just as Darcy recovered the leash. He offered her a reassuring, intuitive smile, completely unbothered by the interruption.

recognizing neither his face or his voice, she knew he must've been new to pinehaven. after living here for twenty four years & becoming familiar with practically everyone (willing or through word of mouth -- there were few secrets that didn't circulate through the townies), it was nice to meet the occasional newbie. judging by his accent, he was a long way from home.

darcy was relieved that maple's wandersome habits were, in this instance, were well received. " thank you ! " she said in response to him dubbing the dog brilliant. " this is maple. she's well trained, I swear ... just friendly. " then his mention of failing to fix his motorbike earned a titter from the redhead. " ah, yeah, I must have missed that. " she replied, a hint of playfulness to her tone. she didn't usually frequent the performances that the ballet studio put on, but she certainly had respect for the profession. " well, consider this your welcome to pinehaven ! i'm darcy. " the girl gave him a greeting nod whilst identifying herself. " if you need anyone to show you around, let me know -- i'm a local. " it was a genuine offer, she enjoyed showing off what pinehaven had in store. the opportunity of making a new friend was also a plus. " I know moving to a new town can be tough, so ... " darcy shrugged, ending her statement wordlessly. despite not venturing much beyond the confinements of this small town, she could imagine how intimidating it could be to move into such a tight knit community.

the heavy dampness of the forest floor bled through the soles of jericho's boots, a welcome contrast to the static noise humming in his skull. he was leaned back against a thick, moss covered trunk a few feet off the main path, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of an oversized wool coat as he sought the isolating silence of the trees. the quiet didn't last. the sudden patter of heavy paws against the pine needles preceded a wet snout inserting itself directly into his personal space, accompanied by the enthusiastic thudding of a tail against the brush. jericho went completely rigid, his shoulders locking up beneath his layers as he stared down at the multicolored animal. he wasn't particularly fond of unpredictable variables, and a large dog with zero sense of boundaries definitely qualified. a breathless voice pierced the canopy, followed by the hurried crunch of dry leaves as a woman scrambled to retrieve the runaway.

her subsequent murmur of excuse fell on deaf ears; jericho was still trying to mentally process the proximity of the creature, his gaze darting lazily between the dog's wide eyes and the copper haired stranger now holding the restraint. "it's fine," he grunted, a flat rasp that sounded rough even to his own ears after hours of total isolation. he slowly peeled one hand from his pocket, extending a single, tentative finger to brush against the dog's forehead in a highly awkward attempt at diplomacy before ultimately twisting the finger skyward for the dog to sniff now with a reasonable distance.

the sudden squint of her eyes and the hint of recognition in her voice brought a inward sigh. a heavy wave of mental exhaustion washed over him; the mere prospect of having to summon the social currency to explain his identity, his presence on this specific trail, or his history felt like an insurmountable mountain of effort. he pulled his hand back, letting his head loll back against the tree bark with a lazy, heavy lidded expression. "i doubt it," he replied evenly, his tone completely flat and utterly devoid of any encouraging warmth. "i don't exactly frequent the social calendar around here."

darcy nodded, briefly eyeing the man. she took note of his rigid stature, making sure to keep maple close, she wasn't in the habit of trying to make anyone uncomfortable. she didn't blame him, of course. she would also be thrown off by an unexpected encounter with an australian shepherd on an off trail in the forest. admittedly though -- this was a bit awkward, darcy was unsure of what to say to an individual that seemed like he'd rather be doing anything else.

nonetheless, she didn't want to come off rude by simply turning around & walking away. the redhead exhaled, offering the stranger an attempt at a cordial smile. " well, the people of pinehaven are nice enough, maybe you should give shakespeare in the park a try ! " darcy stated, hoping to peak his interest at the suggestion. she observed jericho's attempt at bartering peace between him & maple, finding his behaviors endearing. there was a brief silence from darcy before the realization that she hadn't introduced herself dawned upon her. " i'm darcy, by the way ! darcy reilly. " the hand that wasn't gripping the leash went to rub the back of her neck; she erupted in a half amused chuckle. " i'd shake your hand but I get the feeling i've bothered you enough -- but uh, I promise the next time we run into each other it'll be under better circumstances. "

who?: anyone!

where: lg bean and t

lunch rush had officially ended and it was iniya's turn to be on aux so naturally pink patheress is blaring through the speakers. it was her lifeline through the stress, being able to bob her head to the music and half dance while making drinks. there was a particular tiktok dance stuck in her head so since things had died down and she was behind the bar alone, she set up her phone to film it.

she's halfway through her second take when someone walks in. her eyes go wide as she tries to decide what is more embarrassing, getting caught filming the tiktok or trying to cover up the fact she was filming a tiktok? considering she was at her job, she decided to go with the latter. "um, be right there!" her voice came out at a high pitch as she tied her apron back on, shoving her phone into her back pocket.

elodie, only a few minutes ago, had come back from her lunch break after the rush. she had been tying her apron around her waist when she heard the pitter patter of footsteps behind the coffee bar & music that wasn't coming from the speakers. curiously, she investigated.

when she peered around the corner of the break room, she caught sight of iniya on her phone, trying to replicate the choreography internet's newest fixation. elodie couldn't help but let out a snicker at the situation. " iniya ? " she called out, wearing an amused grin. " sorry, I really didn't want to interrupt. " elodie stepped out toward the bar. " I can film if you want -- " she said, gesturing toward the other's phone. " I mean it's slow anyways, and I feel like you were getting the hang of it ! " her tone was part teasing, but predominantly genuine.