#monardastart

There was something nice about the cold. While Asher had grown up around the snow, it was different to this - the way he could feel the wind blowing in off of the ocean, even this far into town, the way the snow always seemed... more real. Purposeful. That might’ve been something special about Monarda - he never figured it out, but always appreciated it. He’d gotten himself a cup of coffee from the Little Bite after his shift that morning and made his way into town, sitting down on a bench that didn’t have too much snow accumulated on it yet, and just let himself relax, hands wrapped around his coffee, letting the cold nip at his nose. “Weather’s nice...” he’s not sure if he’s talking to himself or to a passerby - if someone chooses to respond, he’ll be grateful for the conversation; he’s learned from experience that, in this town, small talk can turn into something much more.

This was precisely the point: naively, because her Zuckerberg-But-Better — a low bar, barely worth even trying to limbo under, but still — status hadn’t budged. She pulled her sunglasses slightly off her face after the most recent encounter, and leant on a wall as though to recuperate some semblance of social energy.

“don’t get me wrong, i love my extended family.. i just can’t be bothered to be surrounded by them right now. you know?” she sighed deeply, rubbing her hands over her face. “what do i do?”