#ryder007

Heading to the Clubhouse, Seth has a list tinkering in his head of the things that he needs to get done before too long. With hurricane season still in full swing and no signs of letting up, Seth’s been working on stocking them up for the rest of the happenings until November. He’s been making sure there are shutters for every Clubhouse entrance and window, the generator has been inspected, and finally, he’s got a whole mess of non-perishables, in case they end up with a storm like last time. Seth’s certainly not going to test the theory that everything wrong that can happen, will happen, because in his mind— it’s law. Today was grocery day, trying to get the back-up food stocked up from the remains of the last storm where they had a number of people stay for quite a while in the Clubhouse. So while he ticks off the list in his head, he’s carrying a few bags from the supermarket, calling out as soon as he’s inside. “Hey, you, get your ass out to my car and bring in some of this shit,” he commands Ryder. “Got shit for the back stock and I ain’t got all day.”

The cab pulling up to their house brings a sigh of relief to Rowan’s lips. It’s been, possibly, the longest week of her life and to say she’s glad to be home is the understatement of the century. They’re just getting started on this journey, and she knows that the transition isn’t going to be easy by any means, but she’s just grateful that they’re back on familiar ground and hopefully she and Andy can regain their footing while Benny settles into the new life he’s suddenly being thrust into. “Home sweet home, handsome,” she coos down at him, unbuckling the carseat and carrying it inside, Andy not far behind her, paying the driver and unloading their things from the trunk.

“Hey, kid,” she greets when she walks in and finds Ryder. The smile on her face is tired but there’s no denying that she’s still glad to see him. She hadn’t been sure whether or not he’d make himself scarce when she texted him saying their plane had landed and they would be home within the hour, but she’s glad that he decided to stick around. She knows it shouldn’t be like this anymore and she wonders how Anthony would feel about the fact that he is standing in her kitchen right now about to meet the newest member of their family --- but she tries let her thoughts wander too far, because at the end of the day and after everything, Ryder is still a part of that family for her and for Andy -- no club and no war on their doorstep is going to change that.

“Thanks for staying so long,” she reaches out to squeeze his forearm gently, wanting to pull him into a hug but she resists for now. “I know I said only til Monday but things were more complicated than we thought they’d be...” she trails off with a shrug, setting the car seat down on the ground, kneeling to pull the sun shade up and let Benny get his first look at his new home. He’s a relatively happy baby, he’s quick to calm most of the time and he’s got a laugh that makes her heart feel like it’s suddenly grown wings but they’re still learning each other. “Anyway, I owe you like six now, not one.” She looks up at him with a grin before unbuckling the chest strap and scooping Ben out of his car seat, his feet kicking as he stretches before grabbing a fistful of her shirt when she props him on her hip. “This is Benny.” Her gaze flickers back to Ryder, unsure of how he’ll react to the name -- she doesn’t think he would ever hold it against the baby, but she’s painfully aware of the history between Ryder and his father, and the last thing she wants is for a name to trigger something in him. “You can hold him, if you want. But no pressure.”

Date: February 14, 2024 Location: The Prosperity - Ryder's Pod Characters: Daniel Eansworth, Ryder Astrea ( @ryderastrea ) Description:  Daniel listens to the playlist Ryder gave him.

Since the storm and everything going on with the outside world, it seemed like other things seemingly got swept under the rug. Sure, the storm was bad and sure, it caused an insurmountable amount of damage, but there were still issues going on in the world before all that, which most have forgotten. With Mitchell Aeron in town, Ryder is still in danger and honestly, with very little damage to those close to her— well, she is focusing on the one thing she can do, which is try to keep Ryder safe. She invited him over to hang out for the evening, obviously not saying— ‘come over since Mitchell doesn’t know where I live’-- but truly, that was her intention, besides catching up with her best friend. They don’t really talk about Mitchell much or at least, Isobella doesn’t want to. She’s still a bit ashamed of her actions, having gone home with Mitchell, touched Mitchell, and embraced Mitchell in ways that she never would’ve, had she known. 

Izzy brings over a Moscow Mule for Ryder, something she doesn’t dare drink but thankfully, it comes from vodka so she’s always got plenty of that for him. The woman sits with her own drink, a vodka cranberry, as usual, placing it on the table so she can entangle herself with Ryder without spilling a drop. Her hand comes up to cup his cheek, thumb brushing over the stubble with a smile. “So, baby, tell me what’s on your mind because you’ve barely even talked about all the shit that they missed in the documentary about the carpets or something on the boat,” Izzy smiles, trying to get his attention. Her strategy had been to put on the documentary but now, she’s reaching out to pause it because he’s seemingly thinking about something. “It wasn’t He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, was it?”