every day, every hour

Fussy babies made Teagan nervous, if she were being honest. She always felt so awkward, no idea exactly what to do. But looking for a lost item was easy enough. "Don't apologise." The blonde shook her head, offering a reassuring smile. "Okay, a bear you said? Are we talking a traditional looking brown bear, or more like a colorful CareBear?" Though presumably if she came across a stuffed toy, it would likely belong to the woman and her daughter. @aurorawalker

Celine was glad that Teagan was the one who stopped beside her on the road to help out. Right now she really needed some jolt of optimism in her life and hearing Teagan's words brought a small smile to her lips. "Usually I'm not so doom and gloom." She said with a small laugh. "It just seemed like all these things went wrong at once." Not to mention that her car kept falling apart and she couldn't afford a new one. Celine took the water and took a deep drink before letting out a small, satisfied sigh. "There's one around here that leads out to a waterfall and I love that one, though it is a challenging one to do and I could never do it alone. I'd be too afraid to do it by myself."

"Yeah, sometimes things seem to hit you all at once." Teagan mused, head tilting, a sympathetic smile touching her lips as she handed over the bottle of water. Leaning against the car, she took a glance at the engine, seeing nothing utterly catastrophic at first glance, but that didn't mean all that much. She'd take a closer look when it was properly cooled down, having burned her hand on an engine before and not looking to repeat that. "Oh, people say good things about that one." The blonde nodded. "Though I haven't actually done it myself. Maybe you could take me up there one day? When it's a little cooler." She chuckled, not to keen on the heat. @celineediz

A chuckle when Navy admitted that it meant she herself was indulging in the ice cream. At the thought, Teagan couldn't help a shiver. While she could tell the change of season was coming, it wasn't upon them just yet. "Well, I don't know about ice cream, but would you let me buy you a coffee?" The blonde offered, head tilting, smile touching her lips. Because getting out of the wind for a moment would be nice -- as well as the excuse to be with Navy. "Or any other sweet treat you're craving." @navyphillips

She'd just stepped out of the coffee shop, drink in hand, when the other woman paused in front of her. "Erm, no." Teagan shook her head at the question about the bear, gesturing back over her shoulder. "I've been in line for the last ten minutes." A glance between the woman and the pram, hearing the baby fussing. "But I can help you look, if you want? Which way did you come?" It seems like the least she could do. @aurorawalker

Where: Outside a corner convenience store Who: open @newbellevouxstarters

The woman crouching down had caught Teagan's attention, taking a few steps over to make sure she was alright. The other was pouring milk into a takeaway container, a cat circling. She wasn't going to say anything, however the other woman asked about the milk and the blonde let out a small hum. "Um... sort of. Most are lactose intolerant..." So milk probably wasn't the best option, though Teagan wasn't going to say that, of course. It was clear the woman was trying to help, and Teagan would never fault that. "You just spotted him?" Or her, she supposed. It wasn't until the woman looked up that Teagan recognized her - the woman from the coffee shop, who'd had conflict with Ellie. @meyraxbinici

"Yeah I probably also look very different," reaching up he scratched his cheek, the stubble scratching the tops of his fingers. It had been almost two decades since he had been home and saw Laurel, or any of her siblings for that matter. Smiling, he nodded, "we all look different. For the most part I'd say." He let out a chuckle, "it's been okay. A lot but okay. How about you?"

"Yeah, something like that." A small nod, not wanting to offend him. She'd been rather young when Laurel had left, memories scattered and vague in places. Shaking that off, a hum when he mentioned that things had been a lot. She could definitely relate to that. "Yeah, about the same. Working as a state game warden for the parish." Was that enough information? @wyattxfoster

"Yeah," she half smiled at her sister, "exactly. Can't have a baby fussy over the tags. But it'll irritate their skin." One needed to make sure a baby's skin wouldn't get irritated or they wouldn't get hurt but the material since they couldn't express that it felt uncomfortable. She laughed at her sisters reaction to a blowout, "tell me about it. With Jake's first, I was not prepared to say the least," she then made a face and shuddered remembering it like it was yesterday. "Maybe, just pray you're not around when it happens. Because I might just pass the buck and make you do it," she was only teasing but she couldn't help it. Hugging her sister, she gave her a soft squeeze. "Good, because I won't let you forget it."

If she were honest, the idea of a newborn sort of scared Teagan. At least with kids you could ask them what was wrong, what was bothering them. Sure, they weren't always great at articulating it, and it took some guess work sometimes, but at least they could distinguish between if they were sick or hungry or just unhappy. With babies, it was totally unknown. Well, at least it seemed that way to Teagan. Usually their parents could figure it out, but being in that position wasn't high on the blonde's to-do list. "I'll just pretend there's a work emergency." She chuckled over her shoulder, squeezing Ellie's arm. "I believe you." @elizabethxmonroe

"You know more than me probably." Celine chuckled and turned to look at Teagan. "That'd be great! I don't think I'll be driving it anytime soon." But Celine was not looking forward to what it would cost to have the car towed and then for the repairs that would come after. She wanted to groan as she started going down that mental spiral, it was going to cost her so much and she couldn't afford a new car. "Some water sounds good." She grinned, happy that at least Teagan was making things a little brighter.

"Ah, have some hope. Some things seem worse than they are." She assured the brunette, giving her a wink. Of course, Teagan wasn't making any promises about her ability to fix the car, but a lot of things could be patched to at least get someone a few miles back to town. "Coming right up." Pulling open the back of her truck, Teagan grabbed a bottle of water from the stash she kept just in case, handing it to Celine. "Do you have a favorite trail?" While the blonde wasn't an avid hiker herself, she knew most of the trails. @celineediz

Laurel had expected a reaction—maybe surprise, maybe anger—but the hesitation in Teagan’s voice still caught her off guard. It had been years, long enough that she knew she couldn’t just slot back into her sister’s life as if she’d never left. But hearing her name spoken with such uncertainty still stung. She shifted Miriam slightly on her hip, the little girl completely oblivious to the tension, still chattering in French to the employee at the counter, her tiny hands gesturing as if she were telling the most important story in the world. Laurel let her daughter’s voice fill the silence between them for a moment before finally speaking. “Hey, Teag.” Her voice was softer than she intended, almost careful. She searched her sister’s face, looking for something familiar that would ground her in this moment. “It’s... been a while.” A weak understatement, but she had no idea where to start. Her fingers smoothed over Miriam's back as she exhaled. “How have you been?” It was a simple question, but it carried so much weight—like she was asking for a glimpse into all the years she had missed, the pieces of her sister’s life she had walked away from.

There was only a few feet between them, but it somehow felt larger than any distance they'd experienced previously. Because there was a whole lifetime stretched in those few feet, it was obvious in the fact that Laurel had a little girl on her hip speaking an entirely different language. Ears burned when the other blonde spoke her nickname, throat tightening when Laurel said that it had been a while. An understatement that stung more than Teagan expected. Her other siblings played such an important part of her life; hell, Teagan wouldn't have been able to stay clean and sober getting out of rehab if it weren't for Ellie. Elliot was still the first person Teagan wanted to tell when something happened. And she met Tristan for lunch every week. Yet there was a hole in her life where her oldest sister should have been. A hole that had slowly gotten smaller over the years, but was still a blank space where Laurel should have been. "How have I---" She echoed with a breath, closing her eyes before shaking her head. "I--- I don't want to do this here." Her gazed focused on the other woman again, someone who felt like a stranger. @laurelmrichards

Tristan covered his laugh by taking a sip of his own drink, giving a small nod to tell his sister that yes, those two really just said it. "I'm tempted to go over there and pretend that I want to order something else so I can tell them that shrimps are better than pineapple." He looked away in time so they wouldn't see him kind of staring at them. "Another part of me wants to follow them to see if they would succeed," he let out a chuckle as he lowered his drink, looking amused. "But I have a feeling they might just go to the station and make a report about some weird guy following them."

She shook her head at his ideas, taking another sip of her drink, before sneaking another glance at the pair who were still at the counter. "You butting into other people's business?" A hum as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Pretty typical." The teasing was playful however, as usual. "Oh, they would definitely report a weird looking guy following them. So weird." A wink followed as her lips curved up into a grin. "But what else have you been doing apart from eaves dropping on people?" @tristanxmonroe

A hum left her lips as a shrug fell from her shoulders. "I don't know about easier. Maybe less hectic." Still a lot of the same problems, just less of them when there was less people. Though the die-hard hunters were still out and about. Teagan was thankful she didn't live in a parish where she was required to be out on the water, because hated boating in winter, the ice cold waves sending bitter spray everywhere. No, she much preferred the woods. "Ahh," Head tilted slightly as she nodded. "I guess the zoo's ice cream vendors don't do as well in the winter." Lips curved up into a smile. @navyphillips

who? @teagan-monroe where? artisan

At the sounds of the familiar voice, Teagan glanced up, a smile spreading on her lips at seeing Ash. "Hey, what are you doing here?" A gesture for the other woman to sit if she wanted, before her brow furrowed. "Unless you have to go." Since the other had mentioned she was on her way out, Teagan wouldn't want to keep her if there was somewhere she needed to be. @ashmalina

As Wyatt bumped into the other, he reached out a hand to make sure she was alright. Then as it hit him who he was standing opposite, a whole different world came crashing into view. Shaking his head when she said she didn't recognize him, he understood. She had been young when he was dating her sister, more than a decade older than her. "I, uh," he cleared his throat, "your sister and I used to date. Like back in high school and early college." He shoved his hands into his pockets, "you were young that's probably why."

With more than ten years between them, Teagan didn't really remember all that much about Laurel's teenage years, the oldest Monroe was almost out of high school before Teagan really started making concrete memories of her. "Yeah, yeah probably." She nodded, agreeing with him. While Teagan knew she shouldn't feel guilty, she did a little, for not recognising him. "It's uh...nice to see you. How's it going?" Was she supposed to make small talk? @wyattxfoster

"For the first like year, it doesn't really matter," she turned to her sister, "as long as they're warm and comfortable and the fabric is soft." She smiled, reaching out to a particularly cute little onesie that caught her eye. Nodding, "that and blow outs, those are really fun," her eyes widened and her tone playfully sarcastic, "wait until you experience your first one." She was only teasing, but it felt nice to do so with her sister, reaching out and draping an arm around her shoulder, "I mean they can put tutus or bows for girls, or yeah boats or cars for boys." She shrugged before stopping, "I'm really happy you're here. And not just with this, but in general."

Teagan hummed, letting her fingers run over a few of the outfits. "I guess that makes sense. "And without scratchy tags." She added, nose crinkling when Ellie mentioned blowouts. She couldn't say she was looking forward to dealing with any of those. While she'd gotten better at babysitting, a newborn was a totally different ballgame. "---Can I pass on that?" The blonde asked hopefully over her shoulder, before an arm was slung around her neck. Leaning into the affectionate gesture, Teagan couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. "I know, I know." She wasn't the best at expressing her feelings back, even when she felt the same. She hoped her sister knew how much she loved her. @elizabethxmonroe

Celine was so relieved to see Teagan when she pulled up. Nothing was scarier as a woman than being stranded on the side of the road and she honestly had thought about turning away help from men if they rose any red flags for any reason. So seeing Teagan was a huge relief for her. "Do you know anything about cars?" Celine asked as she clarified it was just steam and not smoke. For as many times as this car broke down, Celine actually knew very little about cars. "I was coming back from a hike with a friend." Celine explained and hated that she hadn't taken her friend up on carpooling together today.

If Teagan didn't have an ongoing relationship with Navy's supervisor, she could understand how it would seem like some kind of scam or something. Luckily Navy had been told it was a legit deal, happily taking the cooler worth of fish for the animals back at the zoo. The blonde let out a chuckle at the other's comment about her being full of surprises. "Not too bad. Not as many people out now it's cold. A lot of the lakes have frozen over." And ice fishing was not for the faint of heart, that was for sure. "What about you? Business still go on as usual at the zoo even when it's snowing?" @navyphillips