#swampstarter

"I hope this isn’t too weird, but I noticed you from across the room and you look just seem really familiar. I just had to ask or I know it’ll drive me spare for the rest of the day. Any chance you remember someone named Oli that has a face like this?”

“There’s nothing wrong with being cute. It is the God tier of compliments.” Any compliment is God tier for him, but still. “It’s the holiest of all physical compliments. You are something to be cared for, held, and cherish. Unless you say it like ‘oh you’re so cute’. Which makes you an ass.” He’s chewing but stops once he brings him brows together. “That answers the question, I’m sure.”

Ben hated allergies. They made you feel miserable with nothing but over the counter medication to help alleviate the symptoms until it finally passed. But it wasn’t passing and when he sneezed, trying to direct it away from any person, he slammed right into a wall. Looking around he hoped no one had seen it but was out of luck. “Anyway we could pretend you didn’t see me eating wall?”

Simon had never heard about the event known as ‘Teddy Bear Clinic’ but a friends of his had activily passed down a flyer into his hands by the start of the week, prompting him to take Hayley for the day. And who was he to deny the chance of that, really? It gave her the options to explore and grow on her insight, to overview the need and importance of healthcare. Thus, once he had explained their to-be-trip, Hayley had grabbed her stuffed cat named Mr Whiskers into her arms and climbed into her stroller, ready to roll straight into adventure. Did she stay in the stroller for long though? Hardly, as the second the boots came into view she demanded her father stopped and placed her back down on the ground again -- her little feet hurrying forward with her cat in the air, now begging for him to get help to whoever caught her interest with her slurry (yet still demanding) two year old voice. Imagination at its finest. “She really bought into this whole thing”, Simon spoke up aloud with a endearing shake of his head, somewhat glancing at whoever stood beside him. “Hopefully someone doesn’t pretend the cat dies or something, I’m not dealing with that tonight.” 

“I’m not entirely sure what they even mean here,” Adele pulled the red pen out from behind her ear and marking at the manuscript already covered in red markings. “Not to mention the main character’s name has changed spelling at least four times,” she groaned. “Honestly -- if people paid a little more attention, maybe I wouldn’t have to take this shit home with me.” If she were honest with herself, she would admit she didn’t do much work while she were home by herself, but it was more interesting to be dramatic. “Besides, I don’t even know what this book is supposed to be about? Some sort of magical lizard named Lizzy? What do think kids are, idiots?”

“Dis—counts?” she drew out the word longer than need be, hanging on the syllable. Her gaze wandered upward.