Realistic or Modern All in the Family - Main RP Thread

[Geozaki]

This is where all of the RP magic happens for the All in the Family RP, Babyyyyyyy
If you don't know what's going on, check the characters thread linked above


Are you sitting comfortably? Good, then we'll begin
Our story starts on a cold, afternoon the 15th of December 1999...​

 

[Geozaki]

Wednesday, December 15th, 1999
5:00 am
​

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-

The repetitive beeping noise was suddenly cut off as Emily's hand heavily flopped onto the top of the alarm clock that sat on the bedside table. She grumbled and turned over, wrapping the covers tighter around her as she drifted back into a light sleep...

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-

Once again the alarm was silenced with a clunk as Emily tiredly hit the alarm clock. She mumbled something which, in her half-asleep state, she thought was a coherent sentence but in reality, it had been a random jumble of slurred sounds.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-

Emily fumbled to silence the alarm again, this time, finally opening her eyes to read its display. It took a moment for her eyes to wake up, and slightly longer again for her brain to process the symbols that the clock was displaying. But after a moment Emily deciphered the symbols, they read '5:18 am'. Despite this revelation, Emily stared blankly at the clock for a short amount of time. She watched as the numbers ticked over from '5:18 am' to '5:19 am'. Then, suddenly, she sat bolt upright in her bed, the covers fell away from her shoulders as she did revealing the black pyjama top she was wearing. Emily's hair fell messily down to her shoulders and she took a deep breath inwards before stretching and exhaling heavily. Emily rubbed her eyes sleepily and looked around her bedroom. It was still dark outside and likely would be for some time to come. Emily reached her arm to her bedside table and fumbled with the lamp that sat on top of it, attempting to find the switch to turn it on. Emily closed her eyes suddenly, covering her face with her hands as the lamp suddenly illuminated the room and the sudden brightness hurt her sleepy eyes. Emily slowly opened her eyes again, allowing them to gradually adjust to the brightness of the room, before opening them fully. After a few moments of trying to convince herself to leave the warmth and comfort of her bed, Emily finally crawled out from beneath the duvet, stretching again as she stood up, an act which caused her top to ride slightly upwards, exposing a small amount of her back and belly between the hem of her top and the waist of her teal pyjama bottoms. Emily tugged her top back down as she finished stretching and made her way over to the chest of drawers which contained her clothes. She pulled out some clothes and threw them on the bed ready for her to change into. As she finished pulling out some clothes a noise caught her attention.

BEEP BEEP BE-

"I'm awake dammit!" Emily shouted irritably as she pressed the 'Alarm Off' button rather than the 'Snooze' button she'd been clumsily hitting all morning. She looked down at the display which now read '5:27 am'. Emily huffed, realising that, as usual, she had less time than she would like to get herself ready for work. She was working both her jobs today, which was a lot of work, but with Christmas fast approaching she was very grateful for every single hour of work she was being given. Emily hastily pulled on her clothes, which consisted of a dark maroon vest, over which she wore a plaid shirt, the primary colours on which were dark blue and white with some red and black streaks here and there, and a pair of dark blue jeans. After pulling on her socks, Emily made her way out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. She placed 2 slices of bread into the toaster and grabbed her backpack, starting to fill it with the day's essentials while she waited for the bread to toast. She packed her phone, purse, bike lock, keys, a fleece jacket and a book, she also slipped a piece of paper into her back pocket. The toaster popped up, signifying that the bread within had become toast. Emily pulled out the slices of toast from the toaster, stopping them onto a plate just as they started to burn her fingers. She spread some butter on the slices and picked one up, placing the corner of the slice of toast in her mouth as she filled the kettle with water and set it to boil. Emily finally bit through the corner of the toast before reaching for her travel mug. By the time the kettle had finally boiled, Emily only had half a slice of toast left, which she finished before reaching for the kettle, After all, you should always allow the water to cool for about 2 minutes when making coffee. Emily pondered if the 2-minute rule even mattered when you used instant coffee or if it was exclusively for fresh coffee as she placed 3 spoonfuls of instant coffee into her large travel mug, followed by the water from the kettle and a generous glug of milk. Emily put the milk back in the fridge and the lid on her travel mug. She then buttoned up her shirt, before heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth, then she returned to the kitchen, pulled on her black walking boots, grabbed her waterproof jacket and pulled it on over her shirt, zipping it up. Emily zipped up her backpack, pulled it onto her back, grabbed her travel mug and walked out of her flat.

Once outside Emily pulled the plastic cover off her bike, folding it neatly and placing it on the floor before putting a big stone on top of it to stop it from blowing away. Emily shuddered, it was crisp and cold and the gentle breeze cut through her clothing with ease. As she pulled her bike away, Emily looked up at the sky, it was crystal clear and the stars were breathtaking. Emily mounted her bike and rode away from her flat. After approximately a half an hour ride, Emily pulled up by a hardware store. She parked her bike beside the store, pulling her backpack off to rummage around for her bike lock and keys. Emily locked her bike in place, grabbed her travel mug and wore her backpack on one shoulder as she approached the front door of the hardware store. Emily fumbled with her keys until she found the right one and unlocked the door. As she walked inside the alarm started blaring. Emily calmly walked over to the alarm panel and typed in the code to silence the alarm. She then returned to the door and locked it behind her. Emily turned on only the set of lights that ran behind the till and looked up at the analogue clock which hung behind the till, it read approximately '6:48'. Emily breathed a sigh of relief, upon confirming that she wasn't late, she was in fact a whole 12 minutes early. Though Emily started work at 7:00, the shop didn't actually open until 8:00, this was to give her an hour to turn everything on and make sure the shop was ready to receive customers.

Emily set to work turning the various electronics on, checking the stocking on the shelves and cleaning anything that looked a bit mucky or dusty. She finished everything she needed to do by 7:50. She did a final check before turning on the rest of the lights in the store and unlocking the door. As she unlocked the door, the sky had just started to brighten up.

10:57 am
​

"Have a lovely day," Emily said with a smile as the most recent customer she'd served walked out of the shop. Emily looked around the store from the till, she could only see a couple of customers browsing. She glanced up at the clock, there wasn't long to go until the end of her shift. Emily looked away from the clock and spotted a man walking into the store and approaching the counter behind which she was standing. The man didn't seem to notice her and was busy squinting at a piece of paper in his hand. After a moment Emily piped up. "Can I help you with something, sir?" She asked politely. The man looked up at her, slightly startled as she spoke. After eyeing her for a moment, the man answered Emily's question with another question. "Is your boss here?" he grunted. "I'm afraid the manager won't be in until Monday, if it's not something I could help with myself I would be happy to take a message for you," Emily responded with a smile. The man shifted his weight. "I need some advice on a project." The man explained. "I may be able to help with that, what sort of advice do you need?" Emily asked calmly. The man smirked and muttered. "I need some advice on abrasives," Emily nodded and pointed down an aisle. "Just down there we have a collection of different abrasives, what type of finish are you looking for and what other materials will you be using during this stage of your project." Emily looked up at the man, whose smirk had faltered, she awaited his response. "I... I think I'll just have a look myself," the man stuttered before walking off towards the abrasives. Emily watched him walk off for a moment. As much as she was glad she wouldn't have to deal with him, a small part of her was a little disappointed that he hadn't pressed her further. Emily was no DIY expert by any means, but she had spent some time doing some basic research so that she would be able to offer customers some basic advice should they need any, it also came in handy when she came face to face with customers who assumed that she wouldn't know what she was talking about. During her time working at the store, Emily had heard all sorts of reasons as to why she wouldn't know anything about DIY, many pointed to her being a woman and spun some sort of 'girls don't understand this type of thing' story, some people explained that they found it hard to trust her due to her British accent and she was once told that the fact that she had blonde hair meant that there was no way she could retain information about something as complex as woodworking.

Emily's face lit up as a flustered man walked in through the door. "Sorry I'm late, Em" he declared apologetically as he made his way behind the counter. Emily glanced at the clock, it was just gone 11:10. Emily shrugged. "Don't sweat it, Ed" she responded with a smile. She grabbed her backpack, jacket, keys and her now empty travel mug. "Sorry to dash off so quickly, I've got to be at other work in 45 minutes," she explained as she walked towards the door. Her colleague nodded in understanding. "Good luck!" Emily called back as she left the shop. Emily stopped by her bike, placed her travel mug in the holder, unlocked her bike and placed the lock and her keys back into her backpack. She pulled her jacket on and slipped her backpack onto her back. Emily looked up at the sky, which was now grey and gloomy, not a single patch of blue was visible through the thick cloud cover. The wind had also picked up quite considerably since earlier in the morning. Emily rode a short distance to a nearby sandwich shop and popped in to buy herself some lunch which she gently placed in her bag before getting onto her bike and riding off towards her next job.

11:46 am​

Emily pulled into the Corduroy Lumber Company and parked her bike in a little space that was reserved for her within one of the sheds that dotted the lumber yard. She dug her phone out of her bag to check the time and, upon realising she was early, she put her phone back in her bag and started to eat her sandwich. Once she was finished she placed her bag beside her unlocked bike. No one ever came into this part of the company's land besides herself, the owner and his daughter so her things were at no risk of being stolen here. Emily walked over to a small shelf on which there was a small radio with a note attached to it and a small notebook that was open on a specific page. Emily picked up the notebook and read the page it was open on. Due to the way the company operated, Emily's duties varied from day to day, her responsibilities were written in the notebook which was left for her at the beginning of every shift in case neither of her bosses were around when she started. Once she'd read the list she turned her attention to the radio and inspected the note which read 'As promised, the batteries have been replaced.' Emily smiled to herself and picked up the small radio and walked out of the shed heading towards the first job on her list.

2:12 pm​

"... as a result a weather warning has been issued for-" The voice on the radio was cut off by a loud crack as Emily split a log into two smaller pieces. The two halves of the log fell down either side of the stump it had been placed on as the axe cleanly split it. Emily pulled the axe out of the stump, grabbing another piece of wood and placing it on the stump. "... there are high chances of extremely heavy snow and it's not recommended that anyone-" The radio became audible again as Emily lined up the next piece of wood but was cut off abruptly once more as she swung the axe down again. Emily let go of the axe, leaving it embedded in the stump. The piles of split wood on either side of the stump had become rather large so Emily set to collecting the split wood. As she gathered the wood, the radio moved on from its weather report and had started playing some music, which Emily sang along to quietly as she collected the wood. Once she had her arms full of wood she carried it over to a nearby shed. Inside the shed, the walls were covered in shelves that were mostly full of similarly cut chunks of wood. Emily neatly stacked the wood before returning outside to collect another armful. Emily repeated this process until all of the wood around the stump had been cleared away. When Emily exited the shed on her final trip something glided past her face. She looked upwards and smiled to herself. A light flurry of snow was starting to fall from the sky. After a moment, Emily moved back to the stump, dislodged the axe again and continued to split more wood.

"What are you still doing here?" Emily turned as she heard a deep voice a short distance behind her. She smiled as she spotted her two bosses, Daniel and his daughter Wendy, walking towards her. "Just working through my jobs, boss!" Emily reported with a playful salute. "You should head home," Daniel told Emily, but before she could answer Wendy pitched in. "We've been trying to get hold of you for hours..." Emily patted her pockets in search of her phone before realising she'd left it in her bag. "Why, what's wrong?" Emily asked, suddenly becoming somewhat concerned. "According to the weather reports, we're due for a snowstorm very soon," Wendy explained. Emily looked up at the sky, the snowfall seemed innocent enough for the time being. Then Daniel spoke "I know you had some errands to run after work today, and I can't offer you a lift as the car's still at the shop," he explained. "But I haven't finished my work," Emily announced, showing them the notebook with her to-do list, only about half of which were crossed off. "We'd hate for it to be our fault if you weren't able to celebrate Christmas properly because you were stuck here. Daniel explained. "Don't worry about finishing your work, we'll sort it," he added with a smile. Emily nodded, then gave both Wendy and Daniel a hug. "Thank you," she said gratefully before running off to the shed with her bike inside. She pulled her backpack on and rode her bike out of the shed. "And Merry Christmas!" she shouted to her employers before she rode off.

3:02 pm​

Emily parked and locked her bike outside the bookstore and walked inside, pulling a small piece of paper out of her back pocket. Emily's hair and clothes were dotted with hundreds of tiny snowflakes, the snow had become quite a lot heavier since she'd left work. The paper contained a list of the things she needed to get on her way home. Out of all the places she needed to go, the bookstore was the furthest from her flat and so she figured she'd work her way from the bookstore and creep closer to home until she was done. Emily made her way through the aisles of books, collecting a few as she went. She wasn't paying all that much attention to her surroundings as she examined the shelves, searching for the books on her list, whilst also being open to any that caught her attention. After a few minutes, the snowflakes that had attached themselves to her had melted away, leaving her clothes and hair a little damp.

 

[Alvaris]

Wednesday, December 15th

6:30am

Tobias sat at the foot of his bed, willing the sun to peak through the blinds, but knowing better than to wish for a later morning. Normally, he loved the early hours, the peace and tranquility it offered, but the exhaustion that clung to him reminded him of his passing youth. With a sigh, he stood, heaving his bag over his shoulder before marching toward the door. He swung it open then slammed it closed.

“Jacket. I need a jacket,” he muttered as a shiver ran down his spine. Growing up in Massachusetts prepared him for the cold of Michigan but did not cure his forgetfulness. He let out a soft chuckled before grabbing the large black peacoat that laid on the bed beside the place he just left. During college, he often placed a sticky note on the door to help him remember important things – something he hoped he’d grow out of yet knew he never would.

With a renewed confidence, Tobias left his apartment, trekked down the narrow hallway before stomping down the stairs and out of the building. His black 1989 Chevy Impala had a light dust of snow across the hood, roof, and trunk, but nothing that required more effort than his windshield could offer.

Tobias hopped into the car and stroked the dashboard before resting his hands on the wheel. “I know we had a disagreement yesterday, but I forgive you,” he spoke quietly before turning the key. The Impala whined before the engine roared to life. “I’m glad you forgive me too.” He grinned before shoving it in drive.

10:00am​

Tobias nodded before Henrietta gave him a hug. When the elderly woman stepped back, one side of her hair was squished against her head, making him grin. Though her wrinkles sagged into her face, they didn’t overshadow the joy glinting in them. Henrietta raised her hand and rubbed her four fingers against her chin, calling him sweet. Tobias grinned and shook his head before signing back to her, telling her she was sweeter. Henrietta laughed and signed, you remind me of my grandson, so handsome too.

Thank you, Tobias signed before adding. Let me walk you to your car. Henrietta nodded and took his outstretched arm. When he arrived this morning, he’d nearly slipped on the icy walkway heading inside. Glancing down at the short statured woman, he knew he couldn’t let her face the ice alone.

Though it took twenty extra minutes, he finally managed to send her off, giving him thirty minutes to get to his next assignment. Frowning, Tobias half sped walk and half slid across the parking lot until he reached his Chevy. Once inside, the car started without complaint, and he was off again.

11:26am​

Tobias stopped drumming his thumbs on the wheel and slowed the car. It was her, again. The Bike Girl. Her medium length blonde hair blew back as she pedaled in his direction. He never knew quite what to make of her and had a hard time deciding if she was crazy to be wearing only that rain jacket or if she was just that warm blooded. When she passed him, he found himself half smiling and attempting to convince himself that he took this road because he enjoyed the scenic route.

3:15pm​

Now, or later? He held up a small piece of paper that had the title of highly recommended American Sign Language interpreting book. In front of him stood the bookstore and he had enough money in his wallet to buy it, but the last book someone recommended was, well, awful. They told interpreters to act like a telephone merely set to convey information, but that felt wrong. Interpreting was about interpreting the language and culture, which required more than simply putting English into ASL and vice versa. Shaking his head, he’d never follow the conduit model, even if it killed him.

Tossing the paper in the passenger’s seat, Tobias put the car in reverse and looked back. Once the coast was clear he pressed the gas and the car lurched forward. A crash later and he slammed on the brake. Crap. Crap. Crap. “Tobias, you idiot.” He grunted, slowly putting the car into the right gear before inching it backwards. He stepped out and walked to the front.

A string of profanity resounded in his head as he stared at the mangled bike in front of him. Taking a breath, he looked at his car, which managed to survive with a couple scrapes and a minor dent from the pole. Only one person would be daring enough to ride a bike in this weather. His stomach knotted and, despite the dread, part of him hoped it belonged to her.

Though he’d rather not strike up a conversation with, “hey, I’m sorry, I broke your bike.” What a great pickup line.

When he stepped inside, he wiped the snow off his jacket and ran his fingers through his damp hair. Maybe it wasn’t hers. He felt conflicted and angry about feeling conflicted. He should be irate at himself for his stupidity, and not potentially excited about who could own the bike.

Tobias headed to one end of the store and began glancing down the aisles as he walked. If she wasn’t here, then it wasn’t hers, and he would still be at square one, which disappointed him. After many empty aisles he started to worry about finding the owner. What if they weren’t in the bookstore? Balling his hands, he froze.

There she stood, her blonde hair clinging to her scalp while her clothes hugged. Bike Girl scanned the novels in front of her with a stack already in her hands. He took note of her profile, her petite nose, high cheekbones, and-he stopped himself. He was not here to admire her.

“Excuse me,” he spoke softly and after a moment he cleared his throat. “Excuse me,” he said louder. “I don’t know if the bike out front is yours, but I-“ am a bumbling idiot who crunched it. “I may-my car-I.” He paused. “I hit it.” His eyes widened before he added. “I’ll pay.”

Geozaki ​

 

[Geozaki]

Wednesday, December 15th, 1999
3:17 pm​

Emily wondered from bookshelf to bookshelf, a healthy collection of books gathered under her arm. She was starting to wish she'd picked a basket up when she'd walked in, at this point she should probably just accept that she was never going to be able to leave a bookstore with only the book(s) she came in for. However, she had reasoned that if this storm was going to be as bad as promised, there was a chance she'd be stuck at home on her own for a few days and so she would need something to occupy herself with. So, as long as she stayed within her budget and didn't take too long, what harm could be done anyway? Emily glanced at the clock, she figured she could probably stay another 10... maybe 15 minutes before she'd have to be on her way to make sure she got home in time. Emily returned her attention to the bookshelf in front of her, scanning the spines of the books for any of the other books on her list or, even anything that caught her fancy.

"Excuse me" Emily didn't respond to the first attempt to get her attention made by the man beside her, she was too busy reading the blurb of a book to acknowledge that there was even someone standing beside her, never mind that the small sound that had come from them had been directed at her. Emily added the book she'd been inspecting to the ever-growing pile she was carrying and turned to walk away as the stranger spoke again. "Excuse me" Emily let out a small startled yelp, looking up at the man who was trying to get her attention and, who she'd just almost walked straight into. "sorry, I didn't realise you were-" Emily tried to apologise for almost knocking straight into the man, but cut herself off, realising he was trying to tell her something.

It took Emily a moment to process the man's words. She stood there for a moment looking up at him. Emily blinked and suddenly it hit. Without a word she made her way to a window, placing her books on the windowsill so that they formed a highly unstable tower. Emily leant forward so that she was millimetres away from the glass in an attempt to find an angle from which she could see where she'd parked her bike, her breath leaving a small cloud of condensation on the window. Emily's heart sank as her eyes fell upon her bike. From this distance, and through the thick snowfall, it was hard to see the full extent of the damage, but even so, Emily could tell that this wasn't something that she could fix with a lick of paint.

After a short while, Emily tore her eyes away from her bike and dragged herself away from the window. For a moment she stood still, completely silent as she processed what had happened. She looked up at the man responsible and smiled, "don't worry about it, I... I'll sort it," she said in response to his offer to pay for the damage, attempting to make it look like the whole event wasn't that big of a deal, though, whether this was more for the man's benefit or for her own benefit was debatable. It wasn't the money that had Emily worried at this moment. Sure, paying for the repairs or, potentially even a new bike, would be a struggle, but there was a far more pressing issue that had Emily worried, getting home. She still had a few errands to run which could be skipped, but it was far from ideal. But, even without her errands to worry about, she was still a fair few miles away from home which wouldn't even take her an hour to ride, but to walk could take hours, especially if she was dragging a wounded bike along with her.

Alvaris

 

[Alvaris]

Wednesday, December 15th

3:20pm

Bike Girl turned toward him and started walking, either not recognizing a human being was standing there, or she was blatantly trying to get rid of him. He sent a quick and silent prayer it wasn’t the latter. Sure, he may not always be smooth, but he never considered himself repulsive…at least he hoped the female species felt the same.

The chirp that came from her caused his brow to raise but he plowed forward, undeterred. He had a mission and he needed to accomplish it, even though he felt shame rising to his face. The way she stared at him made his cheeks heat and his chest felt tighter – guilt…he never fared well with guilt. In the next moment he found himself holding his breath and looking at the place she stood seconds ago. He turned and followed her as she marched toward the front of the store to peer out the window. Bike Girl leaned close enough that her breath clouded the glass. His eyes soon traveled to the tower of books beside her, it wobbled back and forth, but before he reached a hand toward them, she straightened her posture.

Bike Girl wasn’t looking at him. Crap. It was her bike. This wasn’t exactly how he wanted this to go. Or maybe it was? No, the destruction of property was not the goal. He balled his hands as conflict waged a war in his mind. Tobias, you are a terrible human being! When she finally looked at him, he felt frozen – not even able to offer her a small smile, though he feared if he did it might look more like a grimace.

“I insist. Please. It’s the least I could do,” Tobias said as he studied how her eyes moved and the way her mouth curved into a smile. Unease settled in his chest, and he knew she was far more impacted by his stupidity than she let on. But, boy, was she good at disguising it.

“At least let me drive you home – you shouldn’t walk in this weather, let alone with-“ He paused and motioned toward the window, or rather, the scene of the crime. His eyes lingered on the glass. The snow fall thickened, blanketing everything with a heavier and higher mound of white. It was getting worse, which probably meant the storm was arriving earlier than expected.

Great. Not even his car fared well in snow that thick.

Geozaki

 

[Geozaki]

Wednesday, December 15th, 1999
3:22 pm​

Emily turned to look outside as the man motioned towards the window. Now that she was looking outside with the intent to look at the snow and not in a moment of panic after hearing about the potential damage to her bike, she noticed just how heavily it was coming down and how effectively it was sticking, coating everything in a thick layer of white. At this point, Emily doubted there would be time for her to get home even if she did accept the man's offer of a lift, and the last thing she wanted to do was jeopardise his chances of making it home himself. Emily turned back from the window and looked back at the man once again, her concern beginning to show on her face. "Don't worry about me, you should focus on getting yourself home" Emily stated. "I have somewhere I can go nearby if it comes to it," Emily finished her sentence before glancing outside again. Her statement about having somewhere nearby wasn't exactly true, but she knew that she'd be able to figure something out and she would feel awful if it ended up being her fault that the man got stuck in the snow trying to help her.

"How far away from here do you live?" Emily asked, turning her head back from the window, realising that potential within a couple of minutes cars would be struggling to leave the car park, never mind travelling lengthy distances.

Alvaris

 

[Alvaris]

Wednesday, December 15th

3:25pm​

“Don’t worry about me.” Words he would have been inclined to believe if he had not deemed her Bike Girl. Tobias had only ever spotted her biking from one place to another. Even the remarks he heard from other people about her echoed his own. Taking a deep breath, he softly smiled. His mother raised a gentleman, and she would endlessly scold him if she discovered he’d left her stranded after he broke her bike. The last statement made him feel twelve again.

Tobias shook his head and said, “Until I see you to safety, I’m not going anywhere.” When she glanced outside his smile faltered. “Please, it’s my fault you’re in this predicament. I can toss the bike in the trunk and drop you off wherever you need to be.” He glanced up at his car, noting how it became more white with each passing moment. At least the bike would almost entirely fit in the trunk.

“Uh-uh. If I tell you that and you live in the opposite direction,” he trailed off shaking his head. “The sooner we head out the better.” He stepped toward the door. “I promise I will endlessly insist on it until you agree. Allow me to somewhat redeem myself.” He eyes darted to her bike for a moment before returning to her face.

Geozaki

 

[Geozaki]

Wednesday, December 15th, 1999
3:28 pm​

Emily still felt uncomfortable accepting the man's help, worried that it would jeapordise his own chances of making it safely back home, but he seemed pretty dead set on helping her out and, if they continued to argue the point, chances were neither of them would make it home. Maybe if things were looking bad by time they made it to Emily's apartment, she could offer this man shelter with her? Emilky suddenly realised that she was mulling over allowing a man, who she'd never met before, to sleep in her apartment. Though, as crazy as it sounded, there was something about this man that made Emily feel... 'relaxed'. "O-okay then, I accept your kind offer," Emily said gratefully.

Emily made her way towards the shop's exit. She took a step over the doorframe. As she poked out from the protection of the shop's walls the wind hit her hard, battering her face with icy flakes of snow at a speed that made each tiny impact surprisingly painful in addition, the snow on the floor came up to just above her ankle. Emily quickly pulled herself back into the shop and looked over towards the man, her hair was a windswept mess and she had numerous snowflakes clinging onto her. "Is it even safe to drive at this point?" she asked. She'd never attempted to drive in weather like this before, but she knew for certain that even if her bike was still in working order, she probably wouldn't feel safe riding it home.

Alvaris

 

[Alvaris]

Wednesday, December 15th

3:35pm​

“O-okay then, I accept your kind offer,” is what she said. It took him off guard, he hadn’t anticipated that she would agree so readily. Though he had yet to further prepare an argument, he was ready to put up a fight. A gentleman-ly fight, or disagreement of choices. Whatever his father called it. He watched as Bike Girl made her way to the door. It was only then that it dawned on him. He had no idea what her name was. He’d called her Bike Girl for so long that he never considered asking her, or even offering his own. He felt embarrassed and a bit like an imbecile. Could he come up with a casual way to ask or figure out a way for her to offer it voluntarily? Was he even clever enough to pull of something like that?

Bike Girl asked a question, which drew Tobias out of his cyclical thoughts. The flakes in her hair were quite endearing, but also alarming. He stepped closer to the door and peeked outside, never considering how close and quickly he moved toward her. “We can attempt it, though we should consider the odds. It is better to be trapped in my car or here?” He spoke quietly, more to himself than to her. The odds ended up being in favour of staying put. Being stuck at the side of the road, buried under a mountain of snow, seemed less appealing and far less safe.

“It my be best to sit tight, at least until the storm passes or they get the plows out,” he said, his eyes trained on his car, which began to look more like a small hill than a vehicle. It could be a while before the plows came. Tobias slightly frowned before looking down at her.

Geozaki

 

[Geozaki]

Wednesday, December 15th, 1999
3:42 pm​

Emily nodded. "I'm inclined to agree," she stated in response to the man suggesting it might be best to sit out the storm. Emily looked outside again, it was getting to the point where even getting to the car seemed like a long shot, never mind driving it. Emily tore her gaze away from the blizzard outside and noticed some of the shop's employees rushing around. "One second," she said to the man before walking over to one of the employees and starting up a conversation with them.

Emily returned a few minutes later. "Okay, so the staff here didn't think the snow was going to get anywhere near this bad for at least the next couple of hours. Most of them are also stuck here and have no problem with those of us who are here staying until it's safe to leave again," Emily explained, summarising the conversation she'd just had with the stranger. Emily then paused, looking up at the man, she had a growing feeling that she'd met him before, but she couldn't pinpoint when, or where, or anything really. Emily was lost in her train of thought for a moment but then she suddenly snapped back to reality. "At least we won't be bored here..." Emily stated, her eyes travelling along the rows of shelves containing countless books. Emily then looked up at the man again. "I'm Emily by the way, it's nice to meet you," she said with a smile, extending her hand out to the man, offering him a handshake.

Alvaris

 

[Alvaris]

Wednesday, December 15th

4:00pm​

Bike Girl stepped away before walking toward a couple of bookstore employees. The employee's eyes widened as they looked outside before conversing with one another. Bike Girl easily slid into their conversation and though he couldn’t hear what they said, he assumed it had something to do with hunkering here until things cleared up. He noticed the brunette employee nodding along with whatever Bike Girl said. It wasn’t long before she strode back over to him.

“That’s great,” Tobias said before glancing outside. The storm turned everything hazy, and he could hardly see his car through the flurries. He hoped no one got caught in the blizzard. “I can’t disagree. If I were to be stuck anywhere, I would definitely choose a bookstore.” He turned back to her and smiled. "Or maybe a movie theatre."

Emily. Bike Girl’s name is Emily. “Pleasure to meet you Emily, I am Tobias.” He took her hand in his. He felt the roughness of her palm against his own and he felt himself pause, only for a second, before shaking it and releasing. Firm grip. Rough hands. What does she do for a living?

“Since we’ll be trapped for a while, and I’ve been wanting to find something new to read. I am curious about what books captured your attention. Any you would recommend?” Tobias asked, unsure if she would even want to remain in his presence for much longer. Either way, he was determined to get to know her.

Geozaki

 

[Geozaki]

Wednesday, December 15th, 1999
4:04 pm​

Emily smiled at Tobias as their handshake came to an end. She pondered on his question for a moment, her gaze wondering downwards towards the floor as she thought, it had been some time since she'd read a book purely for fun, most of her reading nowadays tended to be in preparation for the day that she would be able to join the police force. Not that she really needed to study all that much, she just wanted to make sure that when the day came, she was as prepared as she could possibly be. "I quite like a lot of Orwell's books..." Emily eventually said, "and Flatland by Edwin Abbott has a really cool premise if you can get into it," She continued. Now that she'd started to think about reading purely recreationally names of books that she had read and ones that she wanted to read started flooding her mind. Emily looked back up at Tobias "What about you?" She asked casually.

Alvaris

 

[Alvaris]

Wednesday, December 15th

4:10pm​

He watched as her attention turned from him to the floor. “Can’t go wrong with Orwell,” he mused with a small smile. “I have not quite had the privilege of reading Flatland.” Those book choices intrigued him. He hadn’t met quite as many individuals as well read, nor would he ever have assumed Emily to be interested in those kinds of books, though he supposed he did not know her. Many individuals he came across spoke of Harry Potter, or anything by Stephen King, and the occasional Star Wars novels. Tobias nearly laughed at himself, maybe he needed more sophisticated and well-read friends.

“I hardly have time for pleasure reading. I spend a lot of time reading for work.” He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, “But when I do, I enjoy Ray Bradbury, specifically Fahrenheit 451, and Michael Crichton,” Tobias said. “Oh-and the Screwtape Letters,” he quickly added. There were many books he enjoyed, but the titles and authors grew fuzzier in his memory as the years passed by.

“Do you like games?” Tobias asked. “Since we’re stuck here, it could be fun to make a game out of it.” He wasn’t sure how well received his question would be. Though he hadn’t known her long, she seemed to be more serious in nature. He hadn’t noted much smiling or even any chuckling. Her choice in books opposed the jovial, though they were perfectly reasonable.

Geozaki

 

[Geozaki]

Wednesday, December 15th, 1999
4:14 pm​

Emily listened intently as Tobias listed off some books, to realise that she hadn't read a single one, sure she'd heard of most of them and was intrigued by them, but just hadn't gotten around to actually reading them yet. Before Emily could voice this epiphany, Tobias hit her with another question, did she like games? "I guess that would depend on the game," Emily said thoughtfully. She was definitely a fan of board games, well, most of them at least, and had spent a night or two in an arcade with a pocket full of coins. "What do you have in mind?" She asked, intrigued to know how Tobias was thinking of turning their predicament into a game.

 

[Alvaris]

Wednesday, December 15th​

4:20pm​

Tobias slid into a smile at her response. His eyes nearly glinted at her question. She hadn’t shot him down despite his less than stellar introduction. Regardless, he couldn’t squander this moment and maybe, just maybe if he brought her joy he could feel slightly redeemed. Though he knew it couldn’t account for his blunder earlier. Part of his knew his actions were motivated by selfishness, but a larger part of him wanted to truly do something good for her – especially since he could not even offer her a ride home.

Now he had not played many games in a bookstore, he did have an idea or two. “There are a couple of options that come to mind,” Tobias said before adding, “Feel free to shoot them down though or add your own spin.” Hopefully one of the games would pique her interest.

“To start, this one was named by a friend. It is the Title of Conversation.” He shook his head at the name before continuing. “You must carry on a conversation based on the titles you read as you walk down the aisle. Whoever fails to make or carry on a conversation loses.”

“Game number two.” He held up two fingers. “We come up with sentences from novels, either ones we’ve read or ones we just found,” he said pointing to the bookshelves behind her. “And we have to figure out which sentence belongs to which book before the allotted minutes are up.”

Geozaki

 

[Geozaki]

Wednesday, December 15th, 1999
4:25 pm​

Emily listened closely to Tobias as he started to explain the two book-based games that he had in mind. Emily started to walk slowly along the bookshelf beside her as she listened, running her fingers along the spines of the books as she walked. "Those both sound like they could be a lot of fun..." Emily mused aloud, taking in the names of the books on the shelf beside her so that she at least had a vague idea of the books that were currently around her. She started to feel a small amount of child-like excitement bubbling up inside her as her mind turned towards which books she could use for both of the games that Tobias had presented her with. She was already enjoying the mental challenge, since she'd moved into her current place, she didn't spend much time with other people, sure she went out from time to time and she did have some people who she spent time with, but there was usually a point to the meeting of some sort, it had been a long time since she'd spent time with someone just for the sake of spending time with them.

"Do you have a preference?" Emily asked as she reached the end of the bookshelf and turned back around to face Tobias again. She was aware that she didn't know much about him, having met him barely over an hour ago, though she still had a niggling feeling that she'd seen him somewhere before. Maybe Tobias was the kind of person who would have a preference and not voice it, or maybe he didn't have any preference at all, but Emily figured that it was always best to play on the safe side rather than jump to conclusions.

Alvaris

 

[Geozaki]

Thursday, November 24th, 2016
6:48 am​

Emily awoke suddenly to the sound of her phone ringing. Her ringtone was one of the few sounds that could reliably get her to wake up almost immediately, she fairly often received calls from work asking her to come in during the night so the sound had become synonymous with the idea that she would have to get up and get to work as quickly as possible. Emily reached over to her bedside table and gently squeezed the sides of her phone, hoping to silence the device before the sound awoke anyone else in the house. She picked up her still vibrating phone and sat up, her hair falling over her eyes. Emily looked down at her phone, squinting as the light from its screen practically blinded her. She tried to read the name of the caller but her vision was still blurry from being awoken so abruptly. She blinked a few times trying to clear her eyes but with little success. Dread started to brew inside Emily as it dawned on her that if this call was from her work, then she would likely have to spend Thanksgiving combing over a crime scene, or slumped over photos and files and, while she did love her job, she would much rather spend the holiday with her family. Emily briefly glanced over at Tobias beside her before sighing, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and quietly walking to the door.

Emily quickly walked through the house and away from the bedrooms, walking almost silently despite her increased pace. The house was partially illuminated by the ghostly glow of the sky outside which was starting to grow lighter, suggesting that the sun would be rising fairly soon. Once she felt far enough away to not wake anyone, Emily answered the phone and placed it to her ear. "HAPPY THANKSGIVING!" Emily jerked the phone from her ear as the sudden appearance of the loud voice on the other end broke the almost dead silence of the house, causing Emily to wince. Emily gently rubbed her ear before cautiously raising her phone to it again. "Em, are you there? Helooo?" The voice on the other end of the phone continued, clearly taking Emily's lack of response to mean that there must be a problem with the line. "I'm here, I'm here," Emily replied, a slight grumble to her tone, she then briefly lowered her phone, squinting at its screen as it lit up, still brightly enough to hurt her eyes which had adjusted for the low light levels of the house. She scanned the screen, searching for the time before she raised her phone back up against her ear. "Seren, you do know it's not even 7 am yet, right?" Emily asked somewhat bluntly. She was still in the process of waking up, although the panic that she might have to work had dissipated the moment she heard her sister's voice. "Ah... for some reason I still have it stuck in my head that it's only a 3-hour difference... sorry" The voice on the other end of the phone responded sheepishly. Emily laughed, "It's okay, I'm just glad that it wasn't work calling honestly," She explained...

7:33 am
​

"Rwy'n dy garu di!"
"Dwi'n dy garu di hefyd."
"Diolchgarwch Hapus! Send my love to everyone!"
"By-
Emily stopped mid-sentence and lowered her phone from her face as it beeped to signify that her sister had hung up she shook her head slightly, smiling to herself. They had been on the phone for some time, just catching up on what had happened since they last spoke. It always surprised Emily how Seren always called her on Thanksgiving, despite not being a holiday celebrated back in the UK, especially when their parents didn't even remember the holiday, even though they'd lived in the States for decades by now. "I need to change her ringtone..." Emily mumbled to herself quietly as she placed her phone down on the kitchen counter, not wanting a repeat of the panic that thinking work was calling had caused. By now the light coming through the windows was a lot brighter and, rather than being gloomy and colourless, the light was warm and orange and the sky was a beautiful array of reds oranges and pinks, the top half of the sun just barely visible as it crept up over the horizon.

Emily was now fully awake and didn't see any sense in going back to bed. She picked the kettle up off its base and filled it up with enough water to make multiple drinks. She then placed it back down on its base and flicked it on. As the sound of the kettle started to grow louder, Emily reached for a mug, the jar of coffee and a spoon, placing them all on the counter while she waited for the coffee to boil.

Wormy Alvaris Sistros Texangamer TF81 - Just Tagging everyone so you all know that this has finally gone up.

 

[Wormy]

LIAM RHODES
Interacting with Geozaki ​

Liam stirred from under his covers, stretching and rubbing his eyes as he slowly came to. Daylight was fighting to peek through a small gap in the curtains. His alarm (for just-in-case) hadn’t gone off yet, but he reached for his phone anyway to check the time. It was just past eight. Less than an hour to go until the parade started!

He had never been too fussed on the big Thanksgiving meal, or the inevitable chaos of being around people, but there was no doubt Liam loved watching the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving parade on the TV. Especially the giant character balloons! It was always so exciting to see each year which ones would return, and what new ones would be unveiled. Santa’s big ending had been less appealing to him in recent years, given he was now in-the-know about the big red guy, but the festive joy was contagious nonetheless.

“Lilly,” he started addressing his sister as he wriggled out from the bottom bunk. “It’s less than an hour until the parade. You might want to get up soon.” He was too excited to actually check whether or not she was awake, and quickly went about opening the curtains and setting off downstairs.

“Mom, it’s less than an hour until the parade,” he repeated at Emily as he entered the kitchen. His nose wrinkled at the strong aroma of coffee, but he didn’t let it deter him. He had to get ready. For the parade. He made a beeline to the cupboard to get his bowl, filled it with Cheerios (no milk), and planted himself at the kitchen table.

 

[Geozaki]

Thursday, November 24th, 2016
Very Early in the Morning
​

Lilly raised her head slightly, peering over the barrier surrounding her top bunk at the closed curtains across the room. Moments later, she dropped her head back onto her pillow with a sigh. It was still dark. Lilly had always found it difficult to sleep before big events like Thanksgiving. The combination of excitement, uncertainty, anxiety and everything else that went into them was too much and only enabled her to sleep in very short bursts, if at all. Thanksgiving wasn't usually an especially frightening event, and this year, as far as Lilly was aware, the only thing scheduled to happen this year was the usual Thanksgiving meal. There probably wouldn't be too much to worry about as far as people were concerned either, the only people who Lilly knew would be coming over for the holiday were Dan and Ellie, whom Lilly had known for her entire life and so she considered them pretty much as family as well. Sure, there was still the possibility that things could get to be too much, but at least there shouldn't be too many unknowns to have to deal with.

Lilly turned over, gripping the top of her duvet as she did so that it coiled tightly around her. It was pretty cold at the moment, which made sense, sleeping people didn't tend to care enough about the cold to get up and turn the heating on, but, as far as Lilly was concerned, too cold is better than too hot, especially at night. She found it much easier to sleep and just relax in general when wrapped up super tight in her covers, the pressure pushing against her made her feel safe and cosy, but it was a lot harder to do comfortably when it was already too hot to function.

8:07 am
​

Lilly had managed to fall into a sort of half awake half asleep state. She was aware of what was happening around her, but it was extremely difficult to separate reality from the vivid dreams that often came with sleeping this lightly. She could make out Liam's voice, he was trying to tell her about something that was happening soon... Lilly's eyes opened quickly and she sat bolt-upright in her bunk, she peered over the side just in time to catch a glimpse of Liam disappearing through the doorway as he left their shared room. Lilly glanced over towards the curtains, which were now open, exposing the room to the unbridled light from the morning sky. Lilly shuddered as the cool morning air inside the house came into contact with her arms, which were no longer protected by her covers.

Lilly clambered over the side of her bunk and started to climb down the ladder, in her hurry to get after Liam, she slipped. Lilly froze for a split second as she realised, but just managed to cling onto the ladder and stop herself from falling the remaining few feet to the floor. After a brief moment, Lilly continued to make her way down the ladder before safely leaping onto the floor. Still feeling cold, Lilly grabbed a hoodie, pulled it over her head and slid her arms through their respective holes in the hoodie. She tugged the hem of the jumper down so that it sat comfortably before perching on the edge of Liam's bottom bunk so that she could reach up to her bunk to grab a blanket and a cuddly toy, before bouncing back onto the floor. She then turned and ran through the door after Liam, one end of her blanket dragging along the floor. While the Macy's Parade might not be everyone's first thought when you mention Thanksgiving, for Lilly, it had become one of, if not the most important part of the day. For as long as she could remember, it had been Liam's favourite part of the day, and not only did Lilly also really enjoy watching the parade, but she appreciated being able to share it with him.

8:12 am​

Emily had spent the past half an hour or so sitting in the kitchen with her cup of coffee, just looking outside the window, watching as the sun rose, causing the sky to fade from one colour to another while it transitioned from darkness to day. It wasn't often that Emily didn't need to be doing anything, so she greatly appreciated just watching the world for a little bit. Hearing movement upstairs, Emily glanced up towards the ceiling. The sound seemed to be coming from Liam and Lilly's room, which made sense, it couldn't be long before the parade and it wasn't like Liam to be late for such an occasion. A few minutes later Liam marched into the kitchen with purpose and announced that there was less than an hour until the parade. "Good morning, sweetie," Emily chirped with a smile, her eyes following Liam as he set about preparing his breakfast. "Do you want anything to drink?" She asked as Liam sat at the table with his bowl of dry Cheerios. While she awaited his response, she stood up from her chair and made her way back over towards the counter where she gently placed down her, now empty, mug.

Just then Lilly shuffled awkwardly into the Kitchen, somehow between their bedroom and the kitchen, her blanket had completely unwrapped itself in her arms so that its entire length was trailing along the floor and Lilly only still had a hold of it with one finger and it was clearly taking some effort to keep a hold of it and not trip over it. Lilly slowly made her way to Emily and gently flopped against her in an attempt at an armless hug. Emily bent down slightly, wrapping her arms around Lilly to give her a tight hug. "Good Morning," Emily said softly. "Good Morning, Mommy," Lilly responded. As the hug ended, Lilly shuffled over towards the kitchen table, placing her blanket and cuddly toy rabbit down on top of the table, at the opposite end to Liam. She then turned back to Emily. "It's less than an hour to the parade!" She declared excitedly, parroting back the words that Liam had told her only a few minutes ago.

Wormy

 

[Texangamer]

Ellie Autumn Morales

Ellie had just woken up when her alarm was flashing she moaned and didn't want to wake up, but she wanted to watch the parade with Liam she got up from the bed and walked over to her closet. She didn't know exactly what to wear she looked at her clothes as she put on her favorite hoodie, a Legend of Zelda hoodie, her favorite game to play she sat down on her bed and put on her vans. She went downstairs to grab a poptart to eat before she went to Liam's house she grabbed a piece and wrote on it for her dad that she was going to Liam's house.to watch the Macy's parade she just yawned grabbing her phone in case her dad wanted to text her for something she walked out of her house and went next door to Liam's house as she knocked on the door while she was waiting for the door to open. Geozaki Wormy​

 

[Wormy]

LIAM RHODES
Interacting with Geozaki
​

Liam didn’t need to think long about what he wanted to drink. “Water, please.” It was what he had most days. Sometimes mixed with apple juice if he was feeling fancy. He knew Emily would put it in his favourite water bottle – it was plastic, translucent blue, with one of those collapsible straws and a picture of Pikachu printed on the side. The picture had become faded and crackled following several years of use. Upon finishing his cereal, he placed his bowl on the counter next to Emily’s mug, then gladly received the water bottle from her. “Thanks.”

It didn’t take long for him to get set up for the parade, but he certainly didn’t waste any time getting the TV to the correct channel and his preferred volume in the living room. Still in his pyjamas, he paced around in anticipation. Back and forth between the living room and the kitchen, checking the TV was still fine, and checking on Emily and Lilly to see if they were ready. And [Placeholder] the cuddly rabbit, of course.

He was startled by a knock on the door, but his attention was immediately pulled away as The Muppets appeared on the screen, singing and dancing, and signifying the start of the parade. He let out an almost-squeal of excitement, rocking on his heels and briefly flapping his hands. Someone else was going to have to answer the door because he could not afford to miss a single second.

 

[Alvaris]

​

Thursday November 24th 2016
6:48 am
​

The blare of Emily’s cellphone resounded in the room, stirring Tobias awake. As quickly as the noise burst into the morning air, it was silenced. Tobias felt Emily shift in the bed, before rising and exiting the room. With a short sigh, he imagined that she would return fairly soon, explaining that, aside from the Rhodes, someone would be without their loved one for the holiday. He hoped that Emily would have been able to participate in the festivities and he understood as much as he could, but the seed of disappointment clung to him.

After a moment more of attempted shut eye, he realized that sleep would remain elusive, his mind was already planning the day without the prospect of Emily’s help. Slowly he pulled off the covers and stood, making the bed before walking out the door. Tobias quietly moved through the house, hoping not to disturb the children as he sought out his wife. The rising sunlight scarcely lit the house, casting shadows all around him. With a short yawn, he heard her hushed voice.

“I’m just glad that it wasn’t work calling honestly,” Emily said, and Tobias found himself smiling as he turned and headed back to the room. It wasn’t work and that meant she’d be around, at least she would be around this morning.

Stepping back into the room, he glanced at the clock and frowned. He hadn’t realized how early it was and that meant the call was likely family. Probably Seren, she always called Emily on thanksgiving.

8:20 am​

Tobias opened his eyes. Oops. He planned on sitting for a moment before getting into the shower, but he was more tired than he expected. Tobias rolled off the bed and stood, the covers had a slight indentation where he’d fallen asleep. At this time, his family was likely beginning to wake, aside from Emily who never came back – or so he assumed.

Walking out of the room, he shuffled toward the kitchen and smiled when he saw his family. He noticed Liam’s brown head racing toward the living room first, likely itching for the parade to start. Then he noticed Lilly’s red head sitting at the table with her blanket and toy lying across it. Lastly, he saw Emily, her blonde hair slightly unkempt as a coffee cup rested in front of her.

“Good morning my loves,” Tobias said as stepped toward Lilly and kissed the top of her head before standing beside Emily, his hand resting on her back. “I meant to be up earlier,” he started but a yawn escaped him. “I’m glad you didn’t get called in,” he spoke softly before kissing the top of her head.

Geozaki Wormy

 

[Geozaki]

Thursday, November 24th, 2016
8:22 am​

Lilly was sat at the table eating her breakfast, a bowl of Cheerios with a lot of milk and as much sugar as she could convince Emily to let her have, which was still dramatically less than Lilly would've had if it was completely up to her, but also more than Emily truly felt comfortable letting her have, but it was Thanksgiving after all. Lilly ate as quickly as she could, fully aware that the parade could start at any moment. As she finished her cereal, she scraped the spoon across the bottom of the bowl to collect any of the sugar that hadn't dissolved in the milk, not wanting to leave any of it. She was very careful to make sure that she didn't let the contact between the bowl and the spoon make any noise, as the potential screech of cutlery against crockery was one of the worst sounds known to humanity, at least in her opinion. Just as she was about to hop down from the table, Lilly heard a knock at the door and froze momentarily, as far as she was aware, no one was supposed to be arriving for Thanksgiving festivities until later on and it was unlikely to be a delivery on Thanksgiving. Before Lilly could think any further about who might be at the door Tobias walked into the Kitchen. "Good Morning, Daddy," Lilly responded to her father as he planted a kiss on the top of her head.

Lilly's attention was suddenly claimed by the sound that her brother had made. Without a moment's hesitation, she got down from the table, hurriedly taking her bowl to the side and placing it by the sink. She pushed her chair back under the table and collected both her blanket and Peanut, her cuddly rabbit. She then proceeded to run into the living room and dive onto one of the sofas, ready to watch the parade.

8:24 am​

Emily leant her head on Tobias' shoulder as she watched Lilly and Liam scamper off to watch the parade. "Me too," she said with a slight exhale in response to Tobias' comment on her not getting called into work. Then she turned to face him, realising that his comment likely meant that she'd woken him up earlier. "Sorry, I was hoping I'd managed to get to the phone without waking you," Emily admitted, looking up at Tobias. She sighed with a slight smile, "You'd think Seren would have wrapped her head around the time difference by now..." She commented and, though the comment was critical, it was clear by her expression and tone of voice that it was said completely affectionately. Emily started to walk towards the door, finally acknowledging that she had heard someone knocking on it.

Emily opened the door and smiled as she realised that the person on the other side was Ellie. "Good Morning, Ellie, Happy Thanksgiving," She greeted Ellie warmly, though she was a little surprised to see her here so early. She stepped to the side, allowing Ellie to walk in if she wanted to do so, by now the Rhodes pretty much had an open house policy with Ellie and her father, Dan. "What brings you here so early?" Emily asked Ellie, "And where's your dad?" She added, having not only thought that they would be arriving slightly later, but that they would also be arriving together.

Wormy Alvaris Texangamer

 

[Texangamer]

Ellie Autumn Morles

Ellie just bit her lip she was dreading going back to school she hated going to school she was getting teased and bullied for being deaf she just sighed she saw the door open as she looked up she had tears in her eyes but wiped them away as soon the door open" hi there" she signed as she looked at her as she had asked where her dad was she bite her lip not sure where her dad has gone to or if he's still was asleep" I just.... i.... I wanted to watch the parade with Liam and Lily i...." she signed' should I come back later with daddy' she signed looking up at them as she waited for an answer from them she looked up to Emily as a mother she never had she don't even remember her mother​

 

[Wormy]

LIAM RHODES
Interacting with Texangamer
​

Once the first commercial break rolled around, Liam decided to investigate who was at the door. He wasn’t surprised to find it was their neighbour, and his long-time friend, Ellie. With her living so close, it wasn’t the first time he’d seen her over the fall break, and likely wouldn’t be the last. They attended the same middle school, but weren’t in the same classes as Ellie was in the grade below him. It was nice to have a friend to spend time with (he didn’t have many), even if the socialising drained a lot of energy. Their hobbies and interests were similar, and they could relate to each other on the grounds of being ostracised from their peers for their differences. It was definitely easier being somewhat of an outcast when you weren’t on your own.

He enthusiastically popped out from behind Emily and waved at his friend, beckoning her inside. He repositioned himself on the couch by Lilly and began giving a rundown of what had happened so far. “Most importantly, there’s a new Charlie Brown balloon!” he explained – vocally and in sign. As a small child, he hadn’t been particularly interested in learning ASL from his father, but after their move to New York and meeting Ellie it became a lot easier to embrace.

He relaxed into his seat slightly as the musical performances and interviews played out. The interviews were of no interest, and while the performers were very talented (even Andrew Lloyd Webber’s disconcerting Cats), everyone knew he was mostly there for the balloons and floats.