#sethmarrok

Status: Closed | @seth-marrok​

If Olivia had known just how desperate the residents of Ashville were for warm buttery croissants and whichever other calorific temptations the bakery not far from her new flat offered, she would have simply had some jam on toast and called it a morning. As it happened, she was waiting in line just outside Donut Hole, about halfway to her desired prize of a couple croissants or maybe even a pain au chocolat, and that meant she would persevere.

She was well prepared for the frosty air, wrapped in a timeless grey coat and her wooly scarf, she was not too bothered by the temperatures. To distract herself from her rumbling stomach, Liv decided to play with her phone. She checked if her favorite podcasts had been updated, had a lazy scroll through the news, and bound to get carried away, she was shoved by the person behind her as the line moved forward.

Rather than tossing them a glare, Olivia found herself wide-eyed as she realized the shove had resulted in pushing her right into the personal space of the man in front of her. Used to others towering over her, Liv was apologizing before she had even looked at the man’s visage. “Uh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to – well, I wouldn’t have crashed into you if it wasn’t for that jerk behind me.” She remarked pointedly, shoving her phone back into her pocket and finally gazing up at the stranger. He seemed oddly familiar – but given Olivia had only just moved to Ashville, that struck her as a surprise and she struggled placing him…

Oh, no. Her mind finally caught up with her, half-forgotten memories of a bustling club and a handsome stranger’s lips on hers. It happened months ago, back when she was getting a feel for Astoria’s nightlife. Cheeks stung red as she realized she could not even remember the guy’s name. She managed a feeble smile and decided to play dumb a bit longer. The club had been loud and dark and the drinks plenty, maybe he had forgotten all about her. “Have we met before?”

When: Feb 12th, 2021, 6:47 pm

Status: Closed | @seth-marrok​

Liv had arrived early at the place they arranged to meet, which wasn’t uncharacteristic, but the main reason for it was that after the events of the past days, she had simply been… on edge, too nervous to stay still, perpetually seeking distraction. Everything was easier if she simply kept busy, even if all she did was walk aimlessly. At the very least, she would be surrounded by people, noise, life – it was silence she couldn’t take. By immersing herself in the ever-busy but perfectly familiar city, she also felt a tad more secure, knowing well by now she couldn’t control the whims of nature, but she still liked to pretend. It was easier than accepting the truth that what had occurred could easily happen again.

She fidgeted on her spot as she waited for Seth, part of her unsure what their meeting really was, and part of her finding she didn’t care to put a label on it. He had vanished, too, which had of course delayed their dinner plans, but more importantly, he had been one of the people on her mind as she’d lost herself in many unsuccessful attempts to read up on history and try to figure out what could have caused half of Astoria to vanish into nothingness. She hadn’t been able to contribute to solving the mystery, but that didn’t matter tonight. What mattered was that people, families, friends, loved ones, were reunited.

Once she saw Seth, a smile lit up Liv’s features, walking up to him in a hurried pace that revealed her relief to see him. “Hi.” She breathed, unsure how to broach the subject she imagined occupied both their minds. For a moment, Liv simply stood and stared, and then she did what she truly wanted to do – she hugged him. “I’m so glad you’re ok.”

@seth-marrok

Olivia: Hey.

@seth-marrok

Olivia: Hey.

Olivia: Are you going to the festival? It sounds like it’s going to be fun.

[She hesitates after hitting send. About a minute passes before she’s typing again.]