#starter;open

Days like this were the kind Juniper had truly missed in her time overseas. She loved the deep muddy forests of North Carolina. But they weren’t home. Her morning began before sunrise, surprised by her sister with breakfast in bed. Best start to a birthday she had had in years. Allie had agreed to cover breakfast for the guests currently staying at the Thistle so Juniper could get to her preferred diving spot before crowds began to gather. And now her and Sage could make the trip with full bellies. She would need to remember to snag a thank you gift from one of the market stalls. 

Making sure Sage would stay put with her things, Juniper stood on the edge of the cliff at Bonny Bay, the sun wasn’t quite up yet, but light was already filtering upwards and washing away the night sky. There was a bitter nostalgia, her family had always come earlier than others, before thrill seekers arrived and without prying eyes. It was a view she knew very well, and hadn’t seen in a very long time 

She didn’t jump, she didn’t dive. She more or less just- fell. Welcoming the wind against her face as she plummeted towards the water. Her time in the air lasted both a lifetime and fleeting breath. She remembered when the fall was soft, cushioned by her wings into a glide. For just a moment, falling felt like flying. Then fidged water and the taste of salt brought her back to the present.

She stayed in the water a while. Floating on her back and watching the sun fully crest over the horizon. Once the clouds were painted with gentle pinks and oranges she emerged. Rejuvenated and ready for the day- she thought she might make this a more frequent affair. Making her way back to the outlook she saw someone had arrived just before her. The adrenaline junkies were starting earlier and earlier. Not that she really had a leg to stand on. She was here too. “Taking a dip or enjoying the view? Either way you picked a good spot.” She was smiling with her towel draped over her shoulders. Picking up Sage as soon as the creature ran up to her. Damp skin be damned.  

"Yeah, so," he leaned on the counter with a sheepish grin. "Welcome to Wolf & Webb's, the coffee machine's broken, we can't do anything espresso based or anything that involves steaming milk. But other than that," Fionn continued, somewhat dejectedly, "can I take your order?"

It was just typical that even a tidal wave wouldn't stop his boss from wanting to make some money. Fionn had honestly been counting on getting the day off and hadn't even set an alarm, only to wake to an annoyed phone call informing him that they'd be serving iced coffee and soft drinks on a stand outside the gas station of all places now that The Catch was in need of some repairs, until further notice. Not exactly his personal favourite place to be, and that was clear on his face as he glanced around, absentmindedly scooping ice into a cup. "Have you ever heard of a beach bar outside a gas station? Doesn't this make it a gas bar? A petrol pub?"

Bored of the poky suite that he apparently was supposed to consider home, Cass had uprooted himself to the lobby for the sake of social interaction, by which he most likely meant annoy other patrons judging by the smirk on his face as another resident had the misfortune to take the sofa in front of his and he raised an eyebrow, glancing up at the ceiling and then down. "You heard the beach is basically destroyed?" An exaggeration, perhaps, or a misquoted news headline from that morning. "How long do you reckon until the roof falls in on this place? I'm taking bets."

"Do you have to shine that in my face?" Helena questioned, stopping with a sense of impatience as the light of the flashlight pointed directly into her eyes. "I'm sure you have better things to do than to inspect me. And for that matter, so do I."

Early Dec. 1923 || Lord of the Northwood Forest contest 

The fairy ring by the river || Northwood Forest

“He’s gonna fall.”

“Will not.”

“Will too.”

“Will not.” 

“Could do.” 

It was Rosie’s anguished groan that ended the argument, punctuated with a huffed “Contrarian.” She stalked across the circle of trees, inserting herself between Fannie O’Keefe and Elsie Peats, huddled on a log bench of their own. She sent a rude gesture back to Sallie, who only smiled. Contrarian was a fifty cent word; someone was doing their writing homework. 

A smatter of applause, a hoot and a holler went up. Sallie bit down on her chapped lower lip, eyes flicking back to the center of the ring where Peter Lawrence and Johnnie Feigel were neck and neck as they hacked their way up the stripped trunk of a white pine. Johnnie was taller and carried the advantage, but Sallie had nursed a soft spot for Peter back at the schoolhouse. He had a shock of red hair that was upstaged by the flex in his bicep and the kind of wide hands you could depend upon.

“Day three of Luxor. I suspect my dorm room is haunted by an angry ghost. Also,” Ethan took a sip of orange juice, “the cafeteria is out of coffee. This college education thing is really riveting.” 

location: corridor

for: @luxorstarters​

It felt like ever since the stupid New Years party, whispers had followed Ruby everywhere she went. She wasn’t used to being the subject of rumours or exposes. If anything, she’d done her best to avoid her name ever being in anyone’s mouth for the majority of her academic career, and it was an unfamiliar and very much unwanted feeling to see people look at her and awkwardly turn away. Even more so when the looks were so obviously hostile. She’d hidden out in her room at first, of course, but she knew if she gave in and allowed her grades to slip, she’d only be proving everyone right. What she needed right now was to prove herself, more than ever before, more than she’d already been doing. Overwork wasn’t a word that applied to her at this moment in time. It was like she was playing catch up all over again. Maybe she always would be.

But it was incredibly difficult to play catch up when you couldn’t actually access your own books. And as much as she really wanted to never speak to anyone again, there was an obvious solution, so Ruby sighed slowly before crossing her arms to address the student, avoiding eye contact. “You’re standing in front of my locker,” she muttered quietly. “Could I ... get in, please?”