- A PHOENIX.

There were several rows of cornhole boards set up on the lawn, kids picking out their favorite colored bags to throw, a few adults setting up their own games. Jess couldn't remember the last time they'd played the game themselves, maybe at a birthday party or something back in high school. Grabbing the tub of bean bags, Jess grabbed one out, offering it to someone loitering nearby. "Want to play a game? I have no idea how good I'm going to be. I have pretty good hand/eye coordination, but I haven't played this is literally years."

Every year Tyler came to compete in the kayak race and every year she left it to chance for who she got paired up with. Arriving a bit late to the sign in process, Ty had only scribbled her name to check in, grabbing her gear before quickly heading to the spot that she'd been assigned to. It wasn't until she was right up on the kayak that she realized who was right next to it, her feet stopping immediately in their tracks. Ty had made it almost a job to avoid Remi in the years since their breakup, taking every out she could to never find herself anywhere near the other woman. She was about ready to just march the other way before Remi saw her, but after spending a beat too long staring in surprise, a shift in her direction brought the two face to face for the first time in years. Any heartache or pain immediately drained out of her features, replaced by the iron walls she'd always been good at putting up. "Fuck off, you're in my kayak," she grunted out, waving a hand resolutely. Surely there was another partner on their way to race with her. Tyler had to assume there wasn't a world that was cruel enough to think putting her in a confined space with Remi was at all a good idea.

Remi enjoyed a good bit of competition. She found that it got her heart racing, and sometimes, that was exactly what she needed. She had gotten to the area where the Kayak race would take place a little early. The event coordinator setting her up with her kayak and area not too long after she showed up. She didn't know who her partner was going to be, but honestly, she wasn't worried. She tended to get along with just about anyone. She was happily lost in her own world, that was until the familiar voice she swore she'd never seem to forget came crushing it down. Her kayak? The hell it was. "Bitch -- I was here first." Remi replied, as she rested a hand on hip. "You must be lost, so run on over there--" she pointed to the lady that assigned her the area, "and figure out where you go, because it's not here." God, please, let it not be here. Although the idea of beating Tyler's ass in this race was a humoring one.

Before she could say anything else, the lady would come to them. "She's lost." Remi said to the woman, before turning back to her kayak.

Who doesn't remember that Vine of the guy happily rapping about his tacos and then, all of a sudden, he accidentally drops his taco in slow motion? That was exactly how Dean felt as he exited the line for Lucky Joe's free bagels tasting. Some kids stormed past him, causing him to drop his bagel to the ground even before he'd had a chance to bite on it. "Ugh, why do you hate me so much?" He asked after a groan as he faced up towards the sky. He almost felt like a whiny baby because, well, he was really looking forward to that damn bagel. "Do you believe in curses?" He turned to the person next to him, before picking up the dirty bagel from the ground. "Because I'm pretty sure those kids cursed me. It was a perfectly good bagel!"

The smell of coffee didn't have the usual calming effect Kaya had hoped for as she stood by Lucky Joe's stall. Being outdoors for the first time in nearly a week felt as stressful as she had anticipated, never mind Ophelia's very enthusiastic encouragements and Roman's quiet looks of judgement. She knew she couldn't stay cooped inside forever, but the concept of wrapping herself and her baby girl in a blanket and cocoon away the days sounded so appealing in that moment she bodily shivered. After a long sigh, she took a sip of coffee and immediately frowned at the paper cup, making an effort to swallow it. She paid for this shit. Absolute robbery.

A long stare down with the offending beverage ensued, which required taking off the big round sunglasses she'd donned this morning in an attempt for anonymity. That was the official excuse she gave, but she's fairly certain her newly acquired roommate saw that for the bullshit it was and that she just wanted to avoid feeling seen at all. Nevermind what his judgy eyes said. It was sunny today, dammit, she was allowed to wear sunglasses without any ulterior motives.

Her inner monologue was blissfully cut short when she realised she was blocking the counter to order, at which point she quickly stepped away, and started eyeing for a trashcan. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." she quickly apologized. She planned to make a swift exit, keen to avoid unnecessary interaction, but when she saw them approaching the coffee jar about to make the same critical mistake she was, the words slipped out before she could stop them. "Order at your own risk. I suspect someone might have swapped the boiling water and their truck's oil when brewing this."

Remi enjoyed the annual spring extravaganza, and why wouldn't she? It bought all of Providence Peak out, for some fun and stress free times. Of course, that is until you run into someone you might not want to see. That could usually put a haul on the enjoyment real quick. Deciding that she needed some coffee if she was going to get through this day, she'd head towards the stand that sold the wonderful dark liquid. She'd come to a haul as a blonde stood in between her and the liquid gold she needed.

Sighing softly, she'd tilt her head slightly, "Excuse me." She said, this seeming to catch the blonde's attention as she turned to look at Remi, before stepping aside. The brunette gave her a kind smile as she apologized, "it's alright, you're all good." She assured before she began towards the stall to grab herself that coffee.

location: miscellaneous downtown street

plot: someone caught her dog in the middle of an escape attempt

Her eyes were over-bright and cheeks flushed with worry a when she stumbled to a halt in front of them. Thalia was breathing heavily, her hands on her hips as she tried to calm her fluttering heart. "I can't thank you enough." She only adopted Chai from Barks and Recreation a month before and believed she was proving herself to be a bad dog owner. They were walking around downtown when, after reliving himself, Chai took advantage of her split attention and took off.

Remi had been on a jog. The weather was beautiful, and she needed the serotonin. She'd come to slow down as she watched a dog come running in her direction. The moment the pup seen her, his attention was firmly on her. She'd kneel down to his level as the dog hauled at her feet, sniffing her shoes, then her legs, followed by licking her face as she came level to him. She giggled, trying to pull her face away from the wet kisses, but failing. She's rub under his ears, embracing the cute ball of fur, "Hi, there -- hi, I know, I know, you're so handsome. Where did you come from?" She cooed at the pup, just before the answer to her question appeared before her.

A chuckle slipped past her lips as Aarti watched the axe miss the target completely. She turned to Remi with a dimpled smile, her cheeks flushed from the beers they'd been drinking. "You think I'll ever be good at this game?" She asked, her words slightly slurred. Probably not, especially not when she was halfway to being shitfaced. But that was the fun part of being at the Break Room—letting loose and not caring about being perfect. 

With Remi, she felt like she could just be herself—flaws and all. Their friendship was easy since the first day they met. It wasn’t a wonder the two became best friends. Grabbing another axe from the table, she had one eye closed as she tried to aim. Her tongue poked out the side of her mouth in concentration before she let it fly. It thunked into the wall a good foot away from the bullseye.

"Ha! Did you see that? I'm getting closer!" She whooped, doing a little victory dance before slinging an arm around Remi's shoulders and leaning into her friend. "Your turn, bestie. Let's see if you can beat that stellar throw."

Remi wasn't sure if this was her 3rd, or 5th beer, at this point. Nor did she care to find out. All she knew was that she was feeling great, and the added treat of being in her best friend's presence only added to that. She watched as Aarti tried to hit the target, the irony of throwing axes, while on their way to being intoxicated, definitely not missed.

Remi nodded, "Sure -- nothing a little practice can't handle, babe." She mused, her eyes dipping down to another axe, which Aarti would then soon pick up. She watched as her friend concentrated, throwing her hands up in the air in cheer as Aarti got closer to the target this time. "See! I told you! Practice! You're going to be a pro in no time."