saying the past couple of days were long would have been an understatement for kareem. he had been trying to get everything ready to open his store again after the two week break, but things weren’t working in his favor. when he had been here with cass after the gala, both had noticed that some things needed repairing, but with kareem’s fear of ladders, it wasn't going to be him. thankfully, cass had offered to help him, and he wouldn't lie about he was still in a bit of shock from that offer. one day, he would accept the fact that people want to help him in life without something in return, but today wasn't that day.

unknowingly, the repairs would be the least of his worries. when he had come in the day before, he had discovered that malee had been letting herself in for the last two weeks to “watch over things”. that was a completely different headache he didn't know how to handle. for now, he was going to try and forget that nightmare while he spent some time with cass.

cass was also another new thing in his life. they had met at the gala and hit it off. kareem had invited them back to the record store because, by that point, he was way over the festivities. a night of drinking and mingling wasn’t always his cup of tea, especially in a room full of eos he didn't know. the night thankfully, took a turn for the better after leaving and ordering some pretty shitty takeout and getting to know one another. in his opinion, it was worth ditching harvey for. he would make it up to him somehow.

that’s how they found themselves in this situation. cass trying to fix up the place with him while kareem helped supervise. he would do it himself, but he wasn’t about to go up the ladder to fix anything. he had enough of those for this lifetime. he takes a sip of his coffee and turns to the other.

Cassian has always been someone that Gabe respected. The two started in similar times, with Cassian only starting less than a year before Gabe himself. "You okay?" Gabe asked with a quirked eyebrow. "You're looking out of sorts." Gabe wasn't one for small talk. He tended to get straight to the point and not waste everyone's time.

the brunette stands, hovering over a table under a small makeshift tent. they’ve been searching for some artifact - she’s not sure of the details just yet, but chloe says it could be something extraordinary.

alexis has known the aussie babe long enough to know that when chloe says something is going to be spectacular, it usually is. and since her father’s death, she’s been itching for a way to prove his legacy wasn’t just an orphaned girl he adopted. tucking the bandana into her back pocket, she shifts over to where chloe is marking spots on a piece of parchment.’

“whaddya got, boss?” 

she says, curiosity peaked. from the looks of it, there had been a discovery. potentially a big one, at that.

there is a rustle in the grasses around her, the sound of another approaching. to her excitement, it’s harper, clad in something similar, white dress that stops just above the knee. rori’s heart swells at the sight of her friend, and she takes off running, nearly tackling harper into the soft grasses beneath their feet.

by the time the mass was over, the tiny brunette stood alongside her parents and managed to slip through the pastor’s flock to find harper, exiting the front row. smile on her face, she went in for a hug and gave the girl a gentle squeeze.

“wanna head down to the lake for a spell? maybe have a lil’ picnic or somethin’?

she asks, a tilt of the head, sprinkle of mischief in her gaze. there was something so calming about hanging out with harper, despite the girl’s obvious doom and gloom on a basis that she doesn’t know if she can understand. it rolls off her in waves. evangeline’s mama always said she was something of an empath, able to feel the feelings of others, but they didn’t speak about it much apart from that.