Realistic or Modern Apple Pie: The Hometown Slice

[Rumble Fish]

Kim’s dull eyes lit up as Chloe accepted her invitation to wander around the fair. With her newfound company, she gently put Macbeth on the ground and the scottie seemed content to stay near her feet despite being unleashed. She too decided to ignore the Belles and Gigi as they quickly made themselves scarce. She did try to flask Kirsten a slight smile as a silent goodbye before the two left the area. It was not that she did not want to meet this lady her gran liked, but she preferred the company of one right now until she found her nerve. Kim’s limp and crutch did nothing to slow her down, she had been using it for about five years now so could easily keep up with Chloe. The doctors had wanted her to use a wheelchair, but Peggy, the firecracker was not having it. Her reasoning; she has one good, strong leg left. She was thankful for her grandmother’s insistence, she could retain a sense of normality this way. Away from prying eyes, her tight shoulders loosened and she sighed deeply in relief. It was still loud and flashy but felt better now that she was with a good friend.

​

When Chloe insisted that they would take a break if Kim became overwhelmed, she gave the girl a thankful smile. “Nae danger, I got my earmuffs on me.” she reached around to pat the little bag on her back, containing a couple of her comfort items; her earmuffs and a small bean-stuffed and blackberry scented bear that she liked to hold if having an episode. She knew that Chloe was nothing like her sister and had a good heart. She always hated how Gigi spoke around her. Passive-aggressive and manipulative. However, Kim knew she could do nothing. They were the Belles and she was, well, nothing. Less than nothing to them, she’d assume. Regardless she looked around for something to do. As she scanned the area, she noticed Macbeth had stopped and was staring elsewhere, his tail wagging rapidly. She looked up to follow his line of sight and noticed two young men both looking at him. One was tall with slghtly curled and dark hair and tanned skin and the other, subtly shorter man had pale skin and dark hair. She had never seen either of them before, and right now approaching strangers was not something she wanted to do right now. That could wait until her second outing. Right now, it was a bloody miracle that she was here in the first place. Macbeth woofed and took a step closer. “Macbeth c’mere!” She called to him, which turned the dog’s attention back onto her. His ears still swivelled back towards the boys, his interest clearly not lost.

“There’s one of they um…” her mind blanked, the name escaping her, “What’s it called-? Och ye fling the wee ball and the guy falls in.” She honestly could not remember its name. “Or maybe ye’d prefer the- the… uh…” Already she could feel her nerves rising and she stopped speaking to calm herself. No, she could not break down this early. Not in front of Chloe, she had just asked her to join her. The skinny girl sighed deeply before turning to Chloe, forcing a smile across herself. She found that looking at Chloe helped her a lot, she had a likeable aura. Kim shifted slightly from foot to foot before speaking again.

“I’m still no’ that versed in these games or rides heh… fun-fairs back home just had whack-a-moles and tame stuff. Ye know what fun ones we got?” she asked, her pale cheeks flushed a very subtle pink with embarrassment. Kim did not like putting it on Chloe but she did not want to choose something that the girl would hate. Kim did not usually play games so was willing to do whatever Chloe did. She had to remind herself that Peggy had asked for buffalo wings, but Kim knew the older woman never minded waiting. She had cash herself so if she got impatient she could get things herself. Kim just wished she had her grandmother's confidence and firey spirit. It would make things much easier.

Interactions: FireMaiden
Mentions: @ laceanddoodles Chimney Swift Paltajayd

 

[laceanddoodles]

Kirsten

Talking to Gigi was like talking to a tornado. In one swift gesture, the girl had confirmed growing up in Hadbury, invited them to watch the Belles dance, and invited her to join a beauty pageant, before flitting off to go find somebody else to talk to. It had only been a matter of moments, and still, Kirsten was reeling. She'd returned Kim's little smile as she headed off with Chloe, before finally turning her attention back to Peggy.

"Well... She's certainly..." She struggled to find an adequate word, "Uh, colorful." She gave a breathy little laugh, her gaze flitting down to the ground. "Sorry, I-- we were talkin'... Uh, where were we..."

In her mind, she was seventeen again. The house they'd moved into was tiny-- the two of them were practically on top of each other. It was a Saturday, and she was overwhelmed. Anxious. She'd gone into the bedroom, sitting on the floor in that space between her side of the bed and the wall, to cry. She could hear him, in the other room, pacing. And, after some time, he burst in, came over, crouched in front of her, trapping her in that little space, the corner of the room. Kirsten still couldn't stop crying, and he whipped out his phone and started reading something out loud. A list of reasons why he was fundamentally unhappy, and why she was to blame for each. He asked, after, to make her own list of things that she needed to be happy. She'd said she just didn't want to feel like a bad person anymore.

I can't help you with that, he'd told her, that's on you.

He'd told her that he felt he couldn't depend on her to have his back when he needed her. Because she hadn't held the fridge door open for him when he was refilling the Brita, without him having to ask. He'd told her that her singing around the house was too distracting, that he needed silence. He told her she shouldn't invite anyone over without his permission. Best to be obedient, quiet, and lonely. But not just obedient-- vigilant. Best to always watch, always wait for a potential need so that she could spring to fulfill it before he'd have to issue a command. Life would hurt a little less, if only she could do those things.

Snapping vaguely back to the present, her gaze flitted upwards towards Peggy for a moment, then quickly back down. "...Sorry."

Mentions: Rumble Fish FireMaiden

 

[Rumble Fish]

Peggy watched Kim and Chloe leave as she half listened to the witterings on of Gigi and her girls. She honestly didn't quite know what to make of her. On the one hand, she indeed seemed to be an intelligent and bright girl, but her attitudes towards others were left to be desired. Many of them were in the same boat. It was only when they left that Kirsten spoke up again. But after a few words, she seemed to slip and become unsure. Peggy blinked softly and stayed quiet as she seemed to fumble over what she had wanted to say. Kim did this too, it was best to just let her figure it out rather than force her to speak.

Something about Kirsten, whenever Peggy saw her, always niggled the back of her head. It was almost as if she expected the worst. Why? She had no idea. And unlike a lot of oldies her age, Peggy was not one to pry into other people’s business. After a few moments of fumbling, Kirsten finally spoke again, with a single “Sorry.” To that, Peggy scoffed softly and fished into her bag. Without looking, she managed to pop the lid of the small tin off and she pulled out an empire biscuit. She had never seen them sold around here, even in the bakery or the diner. Oh well, if it is to be done well, might as well do it yourself. Wrapped in a little wrapper, she gently handed the empire biscuit, with thick and smooth icing topped with a little lemon dew drop.

“Och gie yersel' peace ducks, there's nothing t’apologise fur.” she tutted sweetly, “Can only imagine the nerves, what with bein’ new here and all.” Was there something else? Despite her moral code to mind her own beeswax, Peggy could not help but wander what could cause such timidness in one woman. Still, there was a time and place to question someone on such things. And this was not the time, nor place. Prying now would accomplish nothing. Peggy sighed contently and looked around. It did warm her heart to see children running around and having a blast, blissfully unaware of the hardships of the world. Perhaps in a few years, Kirsten’s little one would be joining them.

“So,” she rubbed her hands together, decided to divert the conversation, and hopefully the young woman’s thoughts, “There anything in particular ye’d wanna see or do while yer here? There’s a ring toss over there, I could see if maybe I could win a cuddly toy for yer wee one there. Not to brag, my love, but I do have a pretty solid technique.” She added, with a small yet hearty chuckle. As she spoke, she continued to look around, just to see if Kim was nearby and if she needed anything.

Interaction: laceanddoodles

 

[Paltajayd]

Lyon once again picking up the details of Dan's discomfortness as he silently backed up from being next to him, to now lagging behind, told him something about the surroundings and how it affected him, how he perceives everything around something about the sounds, the smells or even sight could be bothering, the presence of people or who what the hell it could be. We humans sure are diverse, that's the magic behind it. Dan's harsh answer to his "invitation" felt uncomfortable sure, Lyon even started trying to think what did he say in that sentence that annoyed him to respond in such a crude manner, but thankfully he cleared away his thoughts with the rest of his response being added, plus his sweet tender smile eased it all up much quicker.

The way he spoke, his breathing before the discourse began and how he just presented everything on the table, saying it all out loud, his personal experiences. Lyon wouldn't think of drawing up to a conversation with a total stranger made him feel strange enough, because even though he'd approached him with his welcoming gaze and friendly looking presentation, Lyon wouldn't think of anyone as a friend with whom he could just chat about life, usually people externalize and create thick bonds before letting out anything personal, unless they were in dire need for help or just felt desperate, trapped like he did some years ago, in that dark, cold and air lacking alleyway in Philadelphia. "Must be hard to not have a stable home, you know... moving around from one city to another." He gave out one of those tired sighs after a hard day's work just to look into the tree leaves over them, getting less visible with time moving on thanks to the hiding sun, he didn't want him to feel alone in this theme, even less after what he'd shared with him. "I sure do miss watching the Phillies back at home, the sound of the river, the city life, friends... the trio" He said this last two words with an melancholic tone, somewhat of a yearned, happy reminiscence of what's left of that time with his group, as much as he wanted to go back he knew that wouldn't happen, not unless he was willing to change his mind on what made him run away from home. It was hard to accept it, but he prefered being consequential and realistic, yes, he'd run away, he didn't escape from anything as much as he'd like to tergiverse the story to his side. Philadelphia seemed far, far away from his reach.

The way those words made him go deep into the crevices of his life more than what he would've wanted, made him try to change from subject quickly. Luckily enough, he was already in front of the stand, with Dan behind him apparently not wanting to get close to it. Lyon didn't worry much about it, hopefully the woman would serve the chicken wings fast enough to leave there and maybe sit around, let it be bench or grass, as long as they were both comfortable and could watch the pageant develop peacefully. "Just wait for me, won't take me long" he said, looking upwards and then back at him like rethinking what he just said to Dan "uhm... I hope so". The line which was just 4 persons long quickly left him first in line, waiting for his Buffalo wing order to be prepared while he just checked over his phone, no message, zero notifications, absolute silence. Some minutes passed until the lady behind the stand served what he'd payed just a couple bucks in one of those disposable container, warm enough to hold it without burning his hands, the smell of the barbecue and grilled chicken wings was making Lyon desperate for a bite, but he handled his hunger well enough to not show his needs in front of Dan. "You sure you don't want anything? I'm thinking we could just lay on the grass" Lyon added to his question in case he had a "no" for an answer readied up, already thinking where to rest and take some time to know the guy a bit more "or maybe just find a bench somewhere".

Mood: Hungry
Location: Town Square
Interactions: Daniel
Tags: Chimney Swift

 

[Chimney Swift]

MOOD: Anxious
location: The Town Square
❛ interaction ❜ Paltajayd (Lyon)
Rumble Fish (Macbeth, Kim)
FireMaiden (Chloe)

✦ DANIEL ESHEL-DONOVAN ✦

​

By the time Lyon returned with his food, Daniel looked a little the worse for wear.

He was wringing his hands again, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he stared down at the Scottie who had broken away from his owner to approach the pair. Lyon said something, something that got lost in the mix of sounds around and just became another meaningless buzz of noise. Dan didn't answer the question he couldn't understand, instead transfixed on the dog. Watching it as if it were some creature completely unexpected and foreign, like a lemur.

"That dog..." He pointed, backing up just a step or two. He stammered something incoherent, taking in hitched breaths as he found himself barely able to form words. He was speaking loudly again, the one hand still entangled in his hair now clamped over one of his ears to dull some of the ambient sound. "The girl with the crutch. We should take it back first." He pointed again to a skinny dark-haired girl a few paces ahead, chatting with a chubbier girl with chestnut curls. She seemed to have not noticed, or not cared that her dog had wandered away. That concerned Dan, who was used to living in places where dogs had to be leashed at all times. Being suddenly approached by an animal, friendly as this dog seemed, was unexpected. And the last thing he needed right now was to be thrown off any more than he already had been.

He didn't want to approach the girls alone, and he wasn't sure if Lyon was understanding him, so he pointed again, more forcefully. "The dog." Was all he managed to say this time, his heart beating an impatient and syncopated pace. This was all getting a bit too much-- he wanted to run back to the bus stop, or find a place to hide. He needed quiet, he needed space, and it seemed as though he were trapped in a place where neither of those existed. "That dog... it belongs... uh..."

code by fudgecakez

 

[laceanddoodles]

Kirsten

Tension held tight in Kirsten's shoulders, and in the small of her back. And there was a feeling in her throat, like something had lodged deep within it. It was one thing to tell herself that people were kinder than she had been trained to believe, to know that logically. It was another thing, entirely, for the rules and expectations that had been beaten into her to be confronted directly by real, human, compassion. Then, there were the emotions. The relief was something she expected and could explain. The sudden, rushing, shame, was not. Shame, and anger at herself for assuming the worst in another person. For knowing something to be true, logically, but somehow not believing it, emotionally. Darrell's voice in her head echoed, you're acting victimy, you're pretending to be afraid of me. Stop acting abused. She pushed the voice down, and took in a deep gulp of air. Silently, she willed herself not to cry, holding the biscuit in her free hand.

"Thank-- Thank you... I--" She cut herself off before she could get out another apology. She'd already been told not to do that. When you apologize so much, it ends up being guilt trippy. Are you trying to make me feel like a monster? Mercifully, Peggy had already changed the subject for her, asking her about carnival games and whatnot. "I'd like that. The ring toss... It's, it sounds fun."

She had to get him out of her head. This was nothing like those moments-- those moments where she'd been shaky and apologizing and afraid, and he'd responded by hitting her, or, on other occasions, by doing nothing. By letting his rage manifest in quiet, storming past her and leaving her to sink to her knees and collapse in on herself. This was a kind older woman, who Kirsten had no reason to be frightened of, just trying to help. Somewhere from deep within her, she drew upon that well of courage and managed a smile. It was not quite so bright as it had been, at the start of the interaction, but still. "Thank you," she said again, pausing to make sure her voice was clear and unclouded by potential tears, "for being so understanding. I just get too much in my own head, is all."

 

[BeyondDandy]

Ryan Combs
Interactions: Gigi FireMaiden

...

Ryan soon found himself surrounded by Jake’s crew, a group of iron pumping and line snorting college kids. Each of them with a Coors Light in their hand and a half naked girl by their side. Ryan could feel their gaze as soon as he stepped into the lion’s den. He was the lone wildebeest in a sea of predators, but he was not intimidated. “Here you go champ,” Jake said, handing Ryan a beer - a display of disrespect knowing he did not drink.

Before Jake was able to continue his asshole crusade, Gigi jumped out of the shadows and took the spotlight as she did, the other Belles trailing not far behind. The now adult flashed her female figure like nobody could - no insecurities. Ryan averted his eyes as she spoke, Jake on the other hand seemed to drool at sight of her. “I don’t mind the work,” Ryan lied, not trying to put his father in a bad spot with anyone in town. Their relationship right now was challenging to say the least, so brining up the negative would only make things worse. Fortunately the conversation took a quick one-eighty when Ryan’s physical ailments took front page.

“I got caught...” Ryan let slip, his hand feeling the puffiness of his undrained ear. “How’ve you been Gigi? Are you doing the peagant this year?” Ryan asked, expressing his common southern hospitality. Jake on the other hand retreated for more drinks - feeling ignored by the Belles. Ryan eyed the other girls too, all very pretty on this special day. It brought back good memories from previous festivals when he was Ryan the Hopeful.

Spontaneously, when everything seemed to be going well, Jake decided to return in a drunken phase.How long had it been? Five minutes maybe and the guy was wobbling around like a headless chicken. He fumbled forward, catching himself on Ryan’s shoulder. “Woah! Haha!” He started, his eyes catching Gigi’s figure again. “Hey Gigi, how about you and I get together after the fireworks at my place, huh?” he suggested.

Ryan immediately shoved him away, not putting up with the disrespectful manners before the lady. “Watch what you say,” Ryan asserted, mouthing an apology to Gigi on Jakes behalf.

“Woah champ, what’s your fucking problem? She ain’t your girl hotshot, she’s up for anyone’s pickings so chill out!” Jake called out before pushing Ryan back with two hands. His crew started to circle the two guys, immediately trying to escalate the situation and calling for a fight. Jake started to get amped up, hopping on his toes, shadowboxing like he had any idea what he was doing. He looked foolish, but his friends - who to make clear we’re just as drunk as Jake - kept making him feel on top of the world. “People keep saying you’re a fighter or some shit Ryan, but fuck man, you don’t look like shit! I bet you I can hit harder than you bro, I bet you!”

“I don’t fight anymore,” another lie.

“C’mon! I’ll even give you the first punch...” Jake taunted, sticking his chin out and poking his cheek repeatedly. Then within the blink of an eye Jake fell to the ground after Ryan connected a straight right to the kid’s temple, completely unbeknownst to the poor kid. His friends went crazy, screaming, laughing, impressed, scared, all of it - but not a single one stepped up to help Jake find consciousness. Ryan quickly took Gigi by the arm and retreated. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” he said, guiding her and himself away from the situation. Quickly enough the two faded into the rest of the crowd, away from the losers club.

“I’m so sorry about that, I...” Ryan apologized, not sure how to explain himself and why he acted against the taunting. He looked flustered, looking around aimlessly as though expecting another altercation. “He shouldn’t have said that, that was disrespectful,” he stated, trying to argue his point and make his actions ethical.​

 

[Paltajayd]

Lyon thought on repeating the question since Dan clearly wasn't listening to him, but his captivated sight made Lyon take a step back on his thought following his line of view to the black scottie dog that'd caught his attention before. Surely it must've been his charm that absorbed Dan, but his faltered speech gave away that it was more than a random act of pointing out the lovely dog. His next signal to the pair of girls confused him, not making sense on what he was trying to say at first, but then when Dan pointed at the dog for a second time Lyon kind of got what was going on. "Oh! that's their dog" Surprised from finally understanding the riddle, Lyon asked supposing his answer "You want to get it back to them? Sure, follow me". The seemingly random sequence of actions baffled him, specially how Dan was getting disturbed by such a simple thing, it was worth annotating that on his mind.

And so he approached the pair of girls who looked like they were from around town. To his eyes and at first sight, this confirmed what his sister always used to tell him back home, polar opposites always attract each other. Just by looking at them from afar anyone could tell who was the owner of the dog. The black-haired girl had a dog leash on her hand that combine with the dogs collar, at least that was enough of an excuse to him. And as he got closer to them, she had some dog hairs clinging to both her hoodie and jeans, while her friend looked like the cat type to his eyes, at least Lyon was betting on that. He tried to draw their attention trying not to sound like the meddlesome type of guy presenting himself with a hand on his nape, gazing down to then look straight into her. "uhm, hi there" he said with a gentle tone "sorry to bother you, but..." now pointing at the animal a couple feet away "is that dog over there yours?"

Mood: Heyo!
Location: Town Square
Interactions: Daniel, Kim
Tags: Chimney Swift Rumble Fish FireMaiden

 

[FireMaiden]

Chloe Stewart
Location: Town Square
Interaction: Rumble Fish (Kim) Paltajayd (Lyon)
Mentioned: Chimney Swift (Dan)
"Well still, I know big crowds like this bother you, so of you need a break it's okay. I won't hit you with a wet noodle or any other kind of pasta." Chloe was however, slightly relieved by Kim's prepardness. Knowing she had the earplugs and that little bear for relief when things got out of hand was good. As they walked, Chloe let Kim handle her dog, which Chloe obviously loved. She didn't know anyone who didn't, even the local stray probably liked him. She couldn't help but giggle though. "Macbeth reminds me of your grandma," She smiled, watching the dog bark at a pair of boys before looking back to Kim. "Well, in a way. Your grandma has a very stubborn aura, like if you put her and Hulk Hogan against wash other in a Battle of will power, Peggy would definitely win." Of course, Chloe wasn't a fan of wrestling like that, Hulk Hogan just seemed like a very stubborn man. Peggy was just that intimidating. And it also didn't occur to her that there was the possibility Kim didn't know who Hulk Hogan was.

Chloe noticed the slight shift in Kim, her brows furrowing for a second as she looked around. There were a lot of games, some more involved than the others. And a few that wouldn't help with what Chloe was assuming we're Kim's nerves. So she wanted to pick a game that would maybe help calm her down. So Duck Hunting, Dunk the town Drunk, and anything else like that was out of the question. But she spied the perfect one down towards the end of the game row. "How about the ring toss?" She asked. "You throw plastic rings on some milk bottles, and try to win the grand prize. Sound fun?" Chloe knew Kim probably already knew that, but, Chloe speaking probably have the girl something else to focus on.

But before they would be able to go and play a game, a male voice interjected. Chloe felt herself tense slightly, turning to look at whoever it was...and it was a boy she didn't know. "He's Kim's dog, yeah," Chloe nodded, not sure if the other girl wanted to talk to these boys. But the one not talking seemed pretty nervous too. "Oh, she's Kim, if that wasn't obvious, and I'm Chloe. What's your name?" If Kim wanted her to cut the small talk short, she would, but Chloe was raised to be nice. At least she wanted to try anyway.

Gigi Stewart
Location: Town Square
Interaction: BeyondDandy (Ryan)
Mentioned: N/A
A part of her thought that Ryan wouldn't bee to happy about this. After all, the last time he saw her she was a bit younger. Definitely not the kind of girl that would try showing off, or react well to the type of attention Jake was giving her. A slight pout pulled at her lips when Ryan looked away, he was the one she was was trying to impress after all. Her current relationship wasn't meant to last and she knew that, and all the other men in town were dreadful. Ryan was new, to a point, and exciting. He'd be good for a fling at least. Anything more than that would be social suicide, at least until he fixed his reputation.

"I've been just fine. I have enough credits to graduate early if I wanted to, though that's still up in the air," She replied, a casual brag slipping without much intention. "And yes, I am participating. I've won every year since I was 13, and I don't intend to quit until i age out or move away." Now that was the truth. Pageants were a legacy around her, a status symbol. She had no reason to no take part. Though the conversation quickly took a turn when Jake spoke up, Gigi's genuine smile souring a little but before she could retaliate, Ryan stepped up.

So Gigi just stood there and watched what unfolded between Ryan and his friends.

She didn't have to say a word before her "honor" was defended, Ryan shoving Jake off after his proposition...men. Maybe Gigi would have taken Jake up on his offer, maybe she would have slapped him in the face. They'd never know now, Gigi rolling her eyes a bit as the boys and presumably drunk girls jeering for a fight. Gigi never saw the appeal in such a show of testosterone, an almost disinterested expression crossing over her face. Until Ryan threw a punch and Jake went down. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe Ryan was actually skilled, either way she seemed to perk up. Gigi had to wonder now just how Ryan had been caught. But then again, she wasn't the twin who actually liked watching that kind of stuff.

Regardless, she made no effort to fight Ryan as he escorted her away, a slight smirk on her lips as she looked over her shoulder. Jake didn't seem to be getting up any time soon. "Well, I do have to say that was really impressive Ryan, no wonder you want to be a fighter," Gigi smiled as they came to a stop, waving off his apology fairly quickly. "If I had a dollar every time someone made a comment like that, I'd be able to buy your daddy's diner," she giggled a bit, brushing a strand of stray curly red hair behind her ear. "And when I asked about your ear, I'm sorry if that embarrassed you. Just concerned is all." It looked painful, or in the very least, uncomfortable to sleep on. "You know Chloe would have just loved that, she's all into watching that fighting stuff," Gigi commented, looking around the crowd for a moment before back up at Ryan. "So tell me, how's it really been being back? Seeing everyone again after...how many years has it been?"

 

[Rumble Fish]

“Does he?” Kim questioned Chloe as she finished off her candy floss, snorting a little in laughter at her analogy about Hulk Hogan going up against her grandmother, “Aye, yer right. She’d wipe the floor with him. I've seen gran shut people up just from glaring at them like Paddington Bear, ye know like in the pictures?” She wished she had the stubborn and confidence streak her grandmother had. Peggy took no nonsense from anyone and stood up for herself and other people. She had seen Peggy give people grief for being horrible themselves. Her best memory being when Peggy tore down a homophobic waiter for actively refusing to serve two young men who were clearly dating. There was no screaming or a scene, just a lack of tip, a scathing and passive-aggressive note on the bill and a manager who was left with chewed ears. The next time they went, the waiter was gone.

Kim was brought back from her thoughts with a grunt as Chloe invited her to go to the ring toss with her. She did not mind that the girl explained it, if anything it helped her buzzing mind to settle slightly. Having things laid out in front of her did wonders to calm herself down. However, settlement was swiftly interrupted by the black haired male approaching the pair. Instantly, Kim winced and stiffened up. Why did he want to know if Macbeth was hers? Did he do something?
“Huh wha-um-see-?” she was stopped as Chloe stepped in to answer for her. All she could do was nod helplessly before happening to look at his companion, the curly haired boy. He seemed upset and judging from his expression, was mostly afraid of Macbeth. Not listening to the pair, she let out a strangled yelp and scooped the small black dog into her arms, clipping on his leash before putting him down. Macbeth was still panting happily and seemed unfazed. If anything, he was already straining against the lead to investigate the newcomer. As Chloe introduced them both to him, Kim swiftly reached into her bag and brought out the small and purple bear. She did not cling to it, despite wanting to, instead she held it in her hand and gently stroked it with her thumb. The feeling of the little beads running along her finger helped in keeping her steady. She breathed deeply and slowly, as Peggy would tell her to do. However, that was difficult with the knowledge that Macbeth had scared the other boy. She wanted to apologise but she did not know him, or how he would react to it.

“Aye, yes I am Kim.” She managed to splutter out, not wanting Chole to be left hanging. It would be rude to walk away from the pair after beginning a dialogue. It was not a dialogue she wanted but a dialogue nonetheless. “And this is Macbeth. Ye know like the Shakespeare play? M-My gran and I thought it was funny cause... y-ye know he's a wee dug?” she added, her talking becoming faster and faster the longer she went. The girl looked down to the dog as he stared happily at the boy, his stiff little tail wagging like crazy at the prospect of making a new friend. She could only hope that now Macbeth was back with her that it’d calm the other boy too. If not, she was planning to just go and find Peggy and tell her she was throwing in the towel. But she did not want to leave Chloe behind. This was a damned predicament if she ever saw one.
Interactions: FireMaiden (Chloe) Paltajayd (Lyon)
Mentions: Chimney Swift (Dan)

“Smashing!” Peggy rubbed her hands together happily at her acceptance. As they walked to the booth, she adjusted her glasses as Kirsten thanked her for being understanding about her nerves, to that the Glaswegian smiled warmly, “Och think nothin’ of it, ducks. I'm guilty of doing that myself. So is my Kim. All we can do is try to look past it all and see the brightness on the other side. Some times are harder than others but that brightness is always there. Now, let’s have a looksee at these prizes.” she turned back to the game as she handed the vendor behind it a couple of dollars to be given a half dozen rings. Once she had them, the woman took a moment to see what prizes could be won. She hoped to reassure the young mother further, so a cuddly toy for the wee one seemed like the best option. Out of the ones hanging up, there was a panda bear, a large and purple gorilla and other smaller teddies and stuffed toys. There were more impressive prizes to be won, but she figured that a young boy would prefer a watergun to anyone she knew.

There were a couple of people in front of her so she took that moment to look around. She eventually spotted Kim and Chloe, chatting to a young man she had never seen before. Peggy blinked and watched them for a few moments. Her granddaughter was not the sociable type, and she already had her bear out the bag. This was not good. But she had Chloe and Macbeth, and he looked like a nice boy. Peggy decided to simply observe and keep an eye on them. Even before she came to America, and seeing her as a child, she knew that Kim was not quite like the other children in her school. Not that this was a bad thing, but she did seem to struggle. People grow though, maybe she just needed some more time.

Finally, the under-the-breath cursing of the boy in front of her invited Peggy up onto the stand. Looking around, she then turned to Kirsten, “So ducks, see anything ye’d like?” She asked her. Peggy knew better than to go for the “grand” prizes. She knew how these worked, they made those prizes stupidly difficult to win with the size of the bottles and how high up they were. Still, she hoped to get something for the young lady.

Interactions: @ laceanddoodles

 

[Chimney Swift]

MOOD: Soliloquizing
location: The Town Square
❛ interaction ❜ Paltajayd (Lyon)
Rumble Fish (Macbeth, Kim)
FireMaiden (Chloe)

✦ DANIEL ESHEL-DONOVAN ✦

While Lyon introduced himself to the girls, Daniel paced back and forth behind him, chewing the knuckles of his left hand and blinking rapidly. When the dark haired girl, Kim, let out a yelp, he gasped like a hurt animal and clapped his hands over his ears. Hot tears smarted the corners of his eyes, all capacity for speech seeming to be lost from him.

The rest of the conversation, and the world around him with it, went by in a blur, until his sensitive hearing caught the name of his most favorite author...

The dog's name was Macbeth.

"Macbeth... Macbeth." He spoke up suddenly, carefully repeating the name to himself several times until it solidified in his mind. Now that was something he could latch onto: a word, a phrase...

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;"

The familiar soliloquy seemed to soothe the teen's senses, and he started to pick up the pace of his words, stammering less. His breathing eased, as did his posture. He stopped pacing, his eyes fixed on some indeterminable point in the distance.

"And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."

He finished the speech, memorized perfectly beginning to end-- he'd read the script hundreds of times, quite literally. He was still staring off into space, hands fidgeting with his hair in a vain attempt to calm himself, but he was calmer, at least by comparison to a few moments ago.

"Macbeth... Macbeth... like the play." He echoed back Kim's words as he looked back to the dog, now clipped onto his leash, and smiled in spite of himself. He cautiously stayed shied to the back of the group, behind Lyon.

He seemed lost in his own little world for the moment, hands twisting at his hair as he muttered the monologue under his breath again, each time with a bit more fluidity than the last. Anything to get him through this moment in time without a breakdown.

code by fudgecakez

 

[Paltajayd]

Though this wasn't his best approach to the girls and it sounded to him like his presence at first sight was uncalled for, he still wanted to see where it led them. He hated using the term chubby to describe someone, but at this moment that's the best way he found to describe her on his mind. He answered to her with a short intro since he wanted to be careful on the first chat "My name's Lyon. I'm one of the new guys who just got here 'bout a month ago" . Kim's acknowledgement of her identity and presentation of her mascot made everything feel smoother for Lyon after her abrupt yelp and grab of the dog. Did they look like a pair of burglars all of a sudden? well at least the dog didn't think so. "Macbeth ey? Nice name for the cute lil' thing" he said looking at her dog with a loving expression now that he was closer to it and enjoy the sight of the adorable scottie dog. Even though he'd never read Shakespeare before like many of his past friends, it was impossible to not recognize the titles of his most famous works, even less if you were involved in any kind of art studies.

As Dan started speaking and giving him the feeling that he was preaching in the name of Shakespeare's name, and there was Lyon, not getting where he was going with it but at least supposing that could be one of the lines from the play or something similar. A question crept on his mind after that, did he knew the whole thing or were those just his favorite lines? impossible to answer for now but we'll see. Lyon thought on leaving that to him with a chill comment after he was finished with the echo of the dog's name "This is my friend Dan. He's one of the new guys around town too, plus, seems to me like he knows more than a couple things about that play" looking at him through the corner of his eye with his classic smirk thinking to himself. Guess they'll get along quickly with that intro, the rest is up to you buddy.

The girl accompanying Kim seemed to him like something more than what meets the eye. Adding to the description of chubby, a chest hiding secrets or maybe some stuff she could show him about Hadbury. Now, he wouldn't move to leave Dan alone with the other girl since he wouldn't budge from staying behind him, but Lyon was staying heedful in case things developed differently from what he currently had in mind. The then went for the question anyone would normally follow up after being asked their named "What about you? are you from Hadbury?"


Mood: Curious
Location: Town Square
Interactions: Daniel, Kim, Chloe
Tags: Chimney Swift FireMaiden Rumble Fish

 

[King Vioogra]

Jon Carter
Town Square
Interactions: Miracle Corgi

Jon sighed quietly as he scratched the back of his neck. As much of a joke as it was, the fact that his flirting wasn't even acknowledged kind of hurt a bit. Anyways, that disappointment was soon quelled as Darla mentioned more different types of food. "You keep putting things like that in my head I might just explode before I leave." He chuckled before taking another bite of his turkey leg and wiping his mouth. He listened to the girl give her order to the stall attendee, his face warping into confusion with each extra item she ordered. He looked her up an down from behind, but not in a creepy stalker way. 'Fast metabolism? Hellish workout? Anorexia?' He essentially fought with himself over how in the hell this girl could eat so much, before his expression flattened and he realized how much of an idiot he was. "Big family?" He spoke with a smile as he walked forwards and leaned against the stand as he pushed his glasses up on his nose, revealing a thin line of purple before they slid back down far enough to cover it.

"i came down here from Manhattan with my dad. I guess he finally got tired of all the noise. But I have to admit, I hardly expected him to come looking this far for some peace and quiet. He's usually more of a settler."​

 

[laceanddoodles]

Kirsten

"Right." She took a deep breath, struggling to regain her confidence. What was it she was telling herself? That she was going to enjoy the day, and nothing and nobody could stop her? Kirsten couldn't give up on that sentiment yet. It was a bad moment, not a bad day. "Um--" she gazed up at the different prizes, a few larger stuffed animals, a few smaller ones. "Maybe one of the smaller plushes? They're cute." It made sense to ask for a small thing-- Elouise was, herself, very small. And it was easier to win one of those, anyway. She glanced over at Peggy, offering another small smile.

"So, uh, how long have you lived here?"

She knew it was risky asking questions. If you ask a question, there's the societal understanding that they're allowed to ask questions back. And Kirsten still had so much she wasn't ready or willing to talk about. She'd rather people didn't know where she'd come from, or why. It was easier, that way. Less risk of some body making a well meaning phone call and accidentally alerting Darrell to her location. And she didn't want to be pitied. She didn't want people to look at her and only see what happened to her. Kirsten was determined to be more than the sum of her tears. If she was to tell her story, it would be in a moment of absolute necessity, and not before.

Kirsten let her eyes wander, a bit. She spotted Peggy's granddaughter and Chloe, some ways away, talking to a couple of boys. And Gigi, with Ryan. One of the other people she actually knew. He was always kind to her. A good coworker. There were a few people whose names she was sure she knew, and yet-- well, it made sense. It'd only been two and a half months. Definitely not enough time to memorize the names of a town. People were strange around newcomers. Herself, that one emo kid she'd seen a few times... Kirsten had grown up in Charleston. A decent sized city-- it was so much easier to get lost, there. To slip and dodge and avoid the tight nets of familiarity that towns like this were made of. And Darrell was there to make sure she didn't have a net, for better or for worse. She hadn't spoken to her parents since her wedding day. Not that they'd cared much, before. All this, though, was intimidating. Enough to make her almost consider throwing the towel in, if it wasn't so much of a goddamn miracle that she'd made it.

It was after she'd told Darrell that she was pregnant that Kirsten was first allowed to work outside the home. Selling baked goods and little arts-and-crafts items at farmer's markets, under the pretense of saving up to buy the baby a crib, toys, clothes, all the necessities. And with the condition that after the baby was born, she'd stop working. She managed to save by, frankly, lying her ass off. Telling Darrell that she was pricing her goods one figure, and then pricing them a few dollars higher. Keeping the excess hidden. Keeping it counted. Until nine months was up and she had just enough. Just enough for a bus ticket and a deposit on a cheap apartment in a little town somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Georgia, and a tiny bit left over for living expenses until she could get a job in this strange new town. Kirsten had told nobody, but the last two days before her first paycheck from the diner, she didn't eat. There was no way she was going to give up, now.

 

[Rumble Fish]

“A wee one, right ye are, Kirsten m'love!” Peggy gave the lady a little play-salute and smile before she readied herself to begin, her tongue poking out slightly from between her lips in an involuntary reflex, it happened all the time when she was focusing deeply onto something. Kim always pointed out, and as a counter Peggy in turn would point out the girl’s tendency to mumble when either anxious or fixated onto something, which usually tended to be patterns. Kim liked patterns and often looked for them when anxious. Right now, she had to focus on winning a toy for Kirsten’s little one like she promised. As she slowly gauged which ones to go for, the younger woman asked her how long she had been in the town for.

“Och, a few years. Not as long as some others here.” She answered as she tossed a ring and cursing a little under her breath as it bounced off the milk bottle, “I lived in Glasgow most of my life. My kim’s lived here since before she was ten, there was a recession which caused them to up stakes and move here. I’m not going to lie, ducks, I have found America… eh... not hard t’git used tae but… it’s different from home.” She stopped for a moment, not just to focus on getting this bottle, but the thoughts swirling in her mind, if dwelled on, would cause a melancholy shadow to cast upon her and she did not want that. Still; she missed Scotland terribly. She missed Glasgow, the eccentric locals, her friends in the lunch group, she even missed the cold and dark winter nights that began in August. But there was the undeniable fact that Kim needed her. And she would drop anything and everything to look after her granddaughter. Shaking these sad thoughts off, Peggy flicked her wrist, sending the ring flying before smiling at the satisfying cling of the ring making contact with the bottle’s neck and she watched it swivel down.

Smiling, she tossed the rest of her rings. In total, she managed to win three of the little plushies that Kirsten had been looking at, as she was handed them, she turned to the young mother with the little toys as she approached her. As much as she wanted to coo at and give them to the baby, she was asleep and Peggy had enough life experience to know that waking a sleeping baby was not an ideal choice. Instead, she gently handed them over to Kirsten. There was a red monkey, a royal blue elephant and, fittingly, a yellow duck.

“There we are,” The woman chuckled quietly, “So ducks, what now? Shall we play another game or find something to eat?” She felt that it would be better to let Kirsten lead the way. The woman still seemed a little anxious. Now Peggy was not a therapist or psychologist, and never claimed to be. But something about the woman's nervousness seemed... off. Like, it was not normal. However, that was a road not worth travelling down right now. It was the 4th of July, and while Peggy herself did not understand it, she wanted the younger lady to enjoy herself.

Interactions: @ laceanddoodles

 

[Miracle Corgi]

Darla McFarland
mentions: King Vioogra
- - - - - ​

Darla laughed to herself, thinking about her "big family" as she directed her attention back to Jon. She was just taking a big sip of her sweet tea when her eyes caught the slip of purple under the boy's eye. She kept her gaze steady, as if not to react to anything unusual as she moved her cup away. She almost forgot to pay attention to what Jon was saying and blinked her eyes a few times, as if to break herself from a trance. She raised an eyebrow at the mention of where they lived before, obviously intrigued by life in a big city.
"Man-hat-tan," She said, dragging each sound out with a casual drawl. "So is it just you and your old man here? What does he do?" She asked, still juggling a variety of thoughts in her head. Glasses can leave red on marks on a nose easy, she thought, a finger tapping restlessly on her cup. But it was a touch of purple, right? Not red. A bruise? She tried to keep her face from falling into a pout as she thought through what she just saw.

Darla gave up on balancing the three hot dogs and two drinks, placing the extra lemonade, her tea, and two of the hot dogs on an unoccupied folding table a few steps away from them. She returned with one now with only a single hot dog in her hand. "I only live here with my mom, and we tend to not cook so much in the summer. The kitchen is super small and heat just collects in there. So, uh, first real meal of the day." She said, taking a bite of the bacon-dog. Afterwards, she took a moment to scan the area. Not many people were wearing sunglasses, so his must've been intentional to cover the potential bruise. She tapped her own face for a moment, as if to feel for misplaced blue glitter beneath her eye. Must hurt, she thought, and being in this heat would just make the wound feel more uncomfortable. Darla remembered the time she caught a basketball with her face once, and moved her hand away after recounting the pain.

She looked back at Jon and smiled. She didn't feel threatened or nervous, making it hard to believe he could get into such a gnarly fight. Looking at him, the dress shirt and slacks, he seemed almost too neat and proper to get pulled into a tussle. Darla was seconds away from thinking about old mobsters when she realized something else. It would've had to have been a fight with someone in Hadbury, too. Who? She wondered, taking another bite. What kind of trouble did he fall into here?

"Another question, stranger, what do you think of charming little Hadbury?"

 

[BeyondDandy]

Ryan Combs
Interaction: Gigi FireMaiden

...

Ryan couldn’t help but smirk at Gigi’s compliment. It was nice to finally hear someone acknowledge his skills instead of questioning his sanity. Punching a civilian was not exactly what he had in mind nor what he planned to do at the independence day festival, but he’s glad he got some training out of it - despite how it all came about. As the crowd traveled around them, Ryan kept his eyes on Gigi, this time seeing her in a different light than the one she was known to shine under. She had surely grown up and looked really stunning in that dress, but she didn’t seem as inhuman as the high school rumors of the past. Ryan held back all thoughts as she played with her hair and joked about his father’s diner.

“It’s okay, I wasn’t embarrassed. It happens you know…” Ryan reassured her, pinching his messed up ear and shrugging at it’s unfortunate deformity. When it happened initially he had become extremely conscious by it’s disturbing look, but now takes pride in it. It was the symbol of a caged fighter in a way and most people would not fuck with someone with ear like his. Jake was either not most people or severely impaired, either way he missed the warning signs and was probably still unconscious in the dirt. So much for friends huh?

Once again the topic then changed back to Hadbury. Gigi apparently saw through his bullshit earlier and wanted to know how he really felt about coming back. Ryan didn’t know if he should lie again or express some sort of truth. Could he trust her? His eyes looked away for a second as he processed each option and returned her gaze when he made the instant decision to spill some beans. “Two years…” he started. “Honestly Gigi, I’m not overly fond of this town. Don’t get me wrong, the people here are...wonderful. Very friendly, always available when you need them, but…” he paused, his eyes looking away into space. “I feel like I’m in a fucking prison sometimes. I just want to escape.”

His eyes remained locked on nothing as his mind continued to blurt out all his feelings. When he was done he finally snapped out of that trance and returned to look at Gigi respectfully. Ryan then decided to lean closer and tell Gigi something he didn’t want anyone else to hear. “I actually have a fight coming up. It’s next Saturday at ten right outside of town at Tim’s Car Lot. Please don’t tell anyone else. I don’t want this getting out, but if you and Chloe would like to go I can get you both some tickets,” he announced, hoping he didn’t just make a grave mistake by telling her.

“It’d be nice to see a familiar face there…”

Being away in solidarity for two years had definitely taxed Ryan. Despite being very independent before graduation and throughout most of his life, the sheer knowledge of an absent safety net was horrifying. He was alone during his failure and no one had been there by his side to tell him it was okay. Now having returned to Hadbury, Ryan still felt the lack friendships and family support. He knew it was a long shot to get people to understand him for pursuing this dream, but he still had hope.​

 

[FireMaiden]

Chloe Stewart
Location: Town Square
Interaction: Rumble Fish (Kim) Paltajayd (Lyon)
Mentioned: Chimney Swift (Dan)
She felt a few nerves bundle up in her stomach when she heard Kim yelp, Chloe glancing over her shoulder to her friend and then it the weird looks she insisted. Chloe knew most everyone in this town didn't understand what it was like for Kim and...after seeing how the boy behind Lyon reacted, they wouldn't know what it was like for him either. Chloe was very concerned about both of them, but she did know one thing. If they wanted a hug, and yes she realized that was likely not the case, Chloe was very good at them. She just really wanted these two to be able to have fun. Or at least be comfortable.

"It's nice to meet you both, " Chloe smiled, amused by Dan's Shakespeare knowledge. She was never a huge fan of that old poet, but, there were a few things she enjoyed. Particularly the insults. They were wonderful. Anyway, Lyon asked her a question, to which she nodded. "Yep, I was born here. It's a..." Chloe started to say a good town but her view of it had been skewed. Chloe didn't see it as a good town. It was a town of fake smiles and 'good intentions' that never left you alone. At least, if there was something everyone deemed was wrong with you. "It's a really pretty place to live." She said finally. "I think you'll like it here."

Gigi Stewart
Location: Town Square
Interaction: BeyondDandy (Ryan)
Mentioned: N/A
Gigi nodded when he reassured her she hadn't embarrassed him. But in all honesty, Gigi didn't care either way. And he so far hadn't noticed. That sweet as pie smile she had going on fooled a lot of people, and the lost boy returning home seemed to be no exception. But she had genuinely meant her question, and his answer was all too real. "Yeah, I get that," She nodded. "I don't want to be here my entire life, there's so much more to do in life than just be..." She gestured to a groups of gossiping housewives who had been in Hadbury their entire lives. That was the case for a lot of these people. And Gigi...couldn't understand why they were happy like this. She couldn't understand how they were happy like this.

Her full attention returned to Ryan when he leaned in, telling her about a fight he had coming up. Eww. The thought of being crammed into some warehouse or smelly building surrounded by loud men and Chloe...it sounded awful. But Gigi smiled slyly nodding. "Alright, that sounds like fun, " She spoke, that smile turning sweet. "You'd have to give us a ride though, our parents would freak if they knew where we were." That was the truth. Her and Chloe could easily make up an excuse to get away for the night. "Nobody would mess with us knowing we're there with you right?" She then asked, another genuine question, the worry clear in her eyes.

 

[Rumble Fish]

“Yeah-aye-uh… He’s really sweet.” Kim mumbled, playing with her little teddy as she looked down at the still panting Macbeth flattening the grass with his perpetually wagging tail, “He’s named after the-” She was about to repeat herself, a common tic she had especially when she was anxious. However she was stopped by Dan reciting Macbeth’s famed ’Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow’ speech without hesitating or missing any beats. Her nerves turned into curiosity as he continued on, much further than she thought possible of someone. It seemed to be linked with trying to regain a sense of control, much like she would with her bear. Maybe he…? It seemed they had something in common. The girl darted her eyes a little anxiously. Things just got a million times more awkward and difficult.

Lyon mentioned how he and Dan had only been in the town for a short amount of time, hence why she had never seen them before today. She waited for Chloe to answer before she did. Her free hand flicked slightly, as if going to try and hold Chloe's hand, something she would do instinctively to Peggy, or either her mum or dad when they were still around. But given how people seemed to well, feel about two females so much as holding hands, she held back. Despite her dislike of being touched, if it was for comfort, that was different. When Chloe answered, Kim felt slightly more confident in putting in her own two cents. “I’ve um, I’ve been here for almost ten years. My gran’s been here for four.” She finally spoke, not wanting to go on any further about it. If she went on further, she’d dig up everything she had been trying to ignore to enjoy herself. The less she sad about it, the better. She could only hope that would be enough of an answer and her distinct accent could fill in the blanks. After speaking, she finally looked to Dan. He looked uncomfortable, and judging by his body language, he was becoming more and more stressed. Kim did not know what to say or do, so did the only thing that made sense.


As Lyon and Chloe talked, she dropped the leash with a firm “Sit!” to Macbeth, who did as asked and stayed put as Kim cleared her throat and dug into her little bag, pulling out her earmuffs. They were a gender neutral colour of blue, comfortable and best of all noise-cancelling. She did not know how to approach him. She had not met anyone else like herself in too long, never mind her general lack of social skills and tendency to shut herself in her room. Grabbing her crutch, she took a few careful steps towards Dan, her hip was already beginning to hurt and she wanted to sit down. She wanted to go home. But she did not want Dan to become more upset, especially since she had caused this. Kim already had a perpetual cloud of guilt above her head, she did not want to make it any bigger.

“Um...Hello.” she spoke plainly, hoping to keep her own nerves steady in approaching a stranger, “Uh… I'm sorry about Macbeth, he's harmless I promise but... aye. So um, would ye- um. Would ye like t’wear these? Think they should help. It’s too noisy here.” She had to think hard about what to say. If not, she would bluntly blurt out the first thing on her mind ‘You have autism, do you want my earmuffs because I am too.’ And she knew from experience that this was not standard practice. Not to mention, some people just do not like being told the bare facts. If he denied her offer, she was ready to limp right back to Chloe to lick her wounds. She wanted to ask him if he liked Shakespearean properties but any attempt to speak would come out as a string of gibberish. Shifting her weight from foot to foot, her mind began to drift. She was getting hungry, and normally Peggy and herself would have spaghetti bolognese for dinner and she doubted this fair would be selling that. She did not really want anything else. Not to mention, she doubted that any bolognese she would find here, if so lucky, would be nowhere near as good as Peggy’s. Were they going to have it when they got home? Would it be too late? And they could not have it tomorrow but Peggy always made steak pie on Sunday and that was how she liked it. Then on Monday they had dinner at the diner. Kim shifted more weight onto her crutch and kept her eyes down as she waited for his response. Looking people in the eye was scary.

Interactions: FireMaiden (Chloe) Paltajayd (Lyon) Chimney Swift (Dan)

 

[Chimney Swift]

MOOD: Grateful
location: The Town Square
❛ interaction ❜ Paltajayd (Lyon)
Rumble Fish (Macbeth, Kim)
FireMaiden (Chloe)

✦ DANIEL ESHEL-DONOVAN ✦

Daniel's repetitive monologuing was interrupted when out of his periphery, he saw the girl with the dog hobbling over on her crutch. Even as she started speaking, it took him a few seconds to fall silent and redirect his attention. Her Scottish accent was heavy, and a little difficult for him to process over all the other noise.

Thankfully, she had a solution for that.

She held in her hands a pair of blue earmuffs. Dan's deep brown eyes widened slowly as he looked them over, untangling one hand from his dark curls to reach out and gently and silently touch the object, running his fingers along the smooth and even surface. He was listening now.

“... Would ye like t’wear these? Think they should help. It’s too noisy here.”

"Yes, it is." He said matter-of-factly, his face blank and still a bit flushed from both the heat and the sheer discomfort of the situation. He noticed her shifting slightly, his eyes passing over her face just long enough to see that she was staring at the ground. He felt an odd sense of sameness at her familiar fidgety behavior.

Tentatively, he reached down his other hand to take the offered earmuffs from her, turning them over in his hands for a moment before sliding them over his ears, carefully arranging his hair out of the way. Almost immediately, his shoulders fell and he breathed a sigh of relief. The environment seemed... just a little more contained, just enough to help him remember the proper thing to say to someone who'd done something so helpful and kind.

"...Thank you." His voice shook a little, and he forced an awkward smile in the way his mother always reminded him to do.

Relieved of the harrowing overstimulation, he started to take in and observe the group a little more, stepping out from behind Lyon.

The other girl in the group, the shorter one with reddish waves tumbling to her shoulders, was chatting seemingly happily to Lyon. But right now, the one who interested him the most was this girl, the one with the crutch and the dog, who seemed so much like him in an implacable way. Aside from the fact that she was nearly as tall as he was, and her similar mannerisms. There was also the fact, that had only just now occurred to him, that she had brought earmuffs to the festival to begin with. They must have been for herself. She must not like all the noise either... she said so herself, didn't she? Oh, it made perfect sense now. Still scanning her over, up and down with his eyes, he twisted his hands together in barely contained excitement.

"You're like me." He bluntly told her in a sort of lilting, curious tone. "And I like your dog. He's Macbeth, and he's very quiet. What... what's your name again?" He had been spaced out through most of the last few minutes, and had only held onto snippets of the ongoing conversation between the four teens. The dog's name was Macbeth, the other girl was from Hadbury, something about 10 years... the rest was lost to him, but now he seemed much more attentive, his focus no longer trapped inside his own head. He didn't wait for his first question to be answered, his mind still putting together puzzle pieces that had been scattered before. "Your dog is Macbeth, and a Scottish Highland Terrier. Macbeth is the Scottish Play... you're... from Scotland. T-that's why you're so hard to hear-- I'm sorry, that was rude. I say rude things sometimes. It's just hard because it's so loud here."

code by fudgecakez

 

[King Vioogra]

Jon Carter
Town Square
Miracle Corgi

Jon snickered quietly to himself as he saw Darla struggling to hold the massive pile of food in her hands. As he moved to help her, she instead set it down on a nearby table. Once she'd started talking again, Jon listened intently. He tensed up slightly at the mention of his dad, clearing his throat and taking a bite of turkey to play it off. "Yeah it's just the two of us. He was a chiropractor back in New York, so I'm guessing he's gonna start a practice out here at some point." He put his fingers on his chin as he spoke, trying to analyze the things his dad had said when they were on the way here. "Can't say I'll be around too often to see it though. There's way to many scenery spots out here, and I don't think I've even found them all yet."

Jon's speech lifted a bit as he spoke about the scenery, a smile cracking across his face as the images of the ones he'd seen, and sketched, already passed through his mind. Then the question came up about his thoughts on the town. "I think it's great. It'll take some getting used to, since i'm pretty sure no one here even has a reason to honk at each other. And don't even get me started on how pretty it is!" Jon's little tirade went on for about ten seconds before he stopped quickly and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry, I'm rambling." He cleared his throat quietly before taking a deep breath and smiling again. "What about you? What do you think of charming Hadbury?"​

 

[Paltajayd]

Kim and Dan's mutual understanding was felt to him like shooting a bullseye. This gave Lyon the security he needed to not worry about any unexpected outburst of Dan's emotions. For all he knew that could relate to them, one of his cousins back at the Phillies had aspergers, and even though he'd never met him in his life, the name of that disability and what he searched at the internet the only time he heard from his absent familiar made him connect the dots and similarities to the couple next to him. The way they spoke to each other, the evident lack of social skills, their spams and nervous tics completed the map for him.

His pure and innocent ignorance on the matter made him not want to think much about it, but just stay on point to whatever discomfort they could present. At least Dan must have something similar, and now that he acknowledge her as the same as himself, Lyon wondered if Kim had the same disability or if he just made that up wrongly. The long and "more fluent than before" speech Dan acquired after meeting this random girl made Lyon unavoidably feel a tiny tint of jealousy from her. Well of course it was natural for him to engage in an effortless dialogue with someone who shares the same or consistent behavioral patterns, and he could get why he felt more composed, but Lyon still couldn't shake away that hint of envy from his head.

The doubt. It's always the doubt and the unsureness behind the answer that makes people think twice before saying anything. "I get what you mean" He replied concisely "So far, I'm really liking it here" He stopped for a second to think what he wanted to say after and the message he wanted to transmit. The town didn't have many stuff going on around, it was rather boring the first days for Lyon and he always felt sleepy for some odd reason. But the calm lifestyle made him contemplate, enjoy those small compliments from the people who lived here, the friendly smiles and early morning greetings, those things you would never hear back at the big city, were if you didn't have anything to get drunk with or consume the best experience you'd end up with was a heartless "Oh, hi there. Never seen you before". But this place had a vibe, maybe the whole south or just small towns had this same vibe, but Hadbury struck him with a cozy welcome, or so he felt it like that. Even though his department wasn't as good as what you would usually see back at Philly, the room and scarce materials, furniture and decoration were shunned by that place, as if he didn't care of his humble situation. "and it's just uhm, those lil' details in general that get me" he finished to make up for what he curiously questioned from her answer.

Lyon asked Chloe with an unintentional undertone, tilting his head down and looking up beneath his eyebrows at her blue eyes "But do you like it here?" As a matter of fact, he was clearly interested in her side of the story, how she felt living here and not the cliché sentence any town resident would give tourists to attract them for staying a couple of days to nourish the town's economy. He felt she wasn't going to speak her mind at first since he's just a stranger, but if they met again, that question was going to come back once more.

Mood: kubrick stare Curious
Location: Town Square
Interactions: Daniel, Kim, Chloe
Tags: Chimney Swift Rumble Fish FireMaiden

 

[Miracle Corgi]

Darla McFarland
mentions: King Vioogra
- - - - - ​

Darla's head was still buzzing with activity, trying to think about Jon's mysterious bruise in addition to noting that his father decided to move his practice down to a sleepy city in Georgia. Maybe preying on the aging population, or just trying to escape city living. Just the two of them, Darla thought the smaller the household the more intimate. She wondered what home life would be between a father and a son, juxtaposing it to her own experience living with only her mother. Finished with her first helping of fair food, her hands were free to now playfully mirror Jon's movements. She put a finger up to her chin, staring at him as he continued to talk. He remarked about not paying too much attention to his father's career, leading her to conclude that maybe they weren't exactly like her and her mother. Maybe his father didn't even know about the bruise, yet another thing she was now juggling in her mind. She was beginning to feel, for the first time in a while, overwhelmed with things she wanted to record down in a journal. At the same time, the excitement she felt would keep her from forgetting any of it she hoped.

Her swirling thoughts were beginning to slow, however, as she noticed Jon continue on about the scenery around town. Her copycat stance began to fall, as she folded her hands and let her arms rest along her waist. She lost focus on everything she was frantically analyzing in her mind when she heard his voice change slightly. Despite dropping her teasing mirror of Jon's thinking position, she followed his lead once again and felt her smile begin to soften as she thought about some of her favorite scenes around town. She didn't see it in the light perhaps an artist could, but each scene she thought of was associated with a picturesque memory. The sunset across the lake in late summer after spending the afternoon swimming, sitting with her mother and dangling her legs into the cool water. Spending afternoons with her body sprawled in the grass and watching the light hit the leaves above her, and how they shimmered with a breeze. Even now, as the afternoon sun was receding and the festival's lights began to stand out in the twilight, giving such a humble town a rare brilliant glow. She had the tendency to always try to look deeper now, especially as she got older and more used to her surroundings. As Jon reached an end to his quick ramble, Darla felt herself looking at the town's gathering much more starry-eyed now. She'd be back to her normal self soon, back to observing and watching for anything abnormal to happen, but at the moment she was sufficiently mellowed.

"Hm, uh, what I think?" Darla blinked, "Oh right, sorry, day dreaming. You really do seem to like the scenery here, it got me thinkin' about it all and I forgot that I get to see it all the time," She laughed, embarrassed. "I'm used to people always raving on and on about it, but your voice got all sweet so it sounded like you really meant it," She continued, shrugging her shoulders a bit as she admitted her actions. "So now I'm going to sound like an idiot if I don't say I love the scenery," Darla joked, "But I was raised here, did I mention that already? So it doesn't feel extra-special to me. But there is a charm here, isn't there?" She was strained to find her answer, searching for something to say and what could summarize her feelings for Hadbury. "For the last few years, I've just been waiting for something to happen here but, well, nothing does. So in a way, it's a boring place to live. But on the other hand, there's a lot of interesting...Details? Little things about the town that I find instead of some big conspiracy."

She sighed, feeling like her answer was incomplete somehow. "I love it, it's my home, it sometimes just feels like you're completely still in time though," She concluded. A moment or two passed, and she started to unbotten her denim over-shirt to reveal more body-glitter and free herself from unnecessary discomfort and sweat. "It could be a little less hot too. What compelled you to wear long sleeves in July? And carry that case on your back?" She asked, tying her own denim sleeves around her waist to keep the shirt on her person.

 

[King Vioogra]

Jon Carter
Town Square
Interactions: Miracle Corgi

Jon gave a bit of a playful smile when he saw Darla mimicking his movements, giving a nod of understanding when she said she had been daydreaming. He instinctively scratched his head and muttered a quick, "Sorry about that, the scenery isn't as much of a conversation topic as I thought." He gave a short chuckle as he adjusted his glasses again and ran his hands through his hair. He looked around at the people around him momentarily. The more he saw, the more he realized he stuck out like a sore thumb. 'Should I just go home and change? It's cooling down a bit but these slacks are seriously burning me up.' Jon sighed as he thought to himself, freezing momentarily as he realized that route was impossible. 'Wait no, I can't go home yet. Dad was drinking when I left so he's definitely not going to be sober if I go back now.' He raised his fingers to his chin again, giving it a momentary thought before deciding that he'd manage without a pair of shorts. At worst, he could just buy a pair of 4th of July booty shorts if it got too hot. When he was finished with his inner monologue, he had completely forgotten that he was in the middle of a conversation. Hoping he hadn't missed anything important, he tuned back in to whatever Darla was saying.​

 

[BeyondDandy]

Ryan Combs
Interactions:
• Gigi FireMaiden
• Miss Peggy Rumble Fish
• Kristen laceanddoodles

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It was difficult to imagine Gigi sticking around Hadbury her entire life to become one of the locals. If there was anyone worthy of leaving their forgotten town it would be her. Her sole popularity alone could sky rocket her to Mars if she wanted it to. The only thing in her way now was high school and she was just a couple of months away from finishing that, so the puzzle was almost complete. Ryan didn't know much about her personal ambitions or what she wanted to do with her life, but it wasn't his place to pry. Gigi radiated success by the way she carried herself, the town princess strolling through the streets with her entourage of much less attractive women following behind like maidens was a clear example. She had this overwhelming confidence that was impossible to replicate because it was genuine - she truly believed she was better than everyone else and nobody had the guts to oppose it. Ryan didn't blame or judge her for it however as he understood that mentality. When he fought he had to have an unrelenting confidence in his ability to beat the man put in front of him. Any doubt would jeopardize his ability to perform and the results of the match - something he had been struggling with most recently.

“I truly admire you Gigi...” he said nonchalantly. But before their conversation went on any longer, Ryan found himself distracted by Kristen in the distance. He locked eyes with her from where he stood as she accompanied Miss Peggy - feeling the poor girl would never hear the end of whatever conversation they were having if he didn’t interfere. He flashed a smile in her direction before his attention returned to Gigi’s agreement to join him at the fight. "Yea? Awesome! I can pick you girls up at eight thirty?" he said enthusiastically, not having heard the part about her parents not knowing. "Nobody will mess with y'all, I'll make sure of that," he reassured her, his eyes darting back towards Kristen. "Hey, I'm going to umm....say hi to a friend, I'll see you Saturday alright,” he said before trailing off towards his colleague.

Finding his way through the crowd, Ryan finally met up with Kristen and Miss Peggy. He stood there silently not wanting to disturb their conversation, but managed to sneak himself into it rather cleverly - or so was his impression. “Something to eat would be nice...” he answered nervously as he scratched the back of his head and smiled at the ladies. “Hi Miss Peggy. Hey Kristen. Elouise,” he greeted. “Sorry if I disrupted your conversation, I just...thought I’d come by to say hello,” he added, eyeing the little baby in Kristen’s arms.

“Have you ladies been enjoying the festival?” he asked with much less confidence than when he punched Jake in the face. “Oh! Miss Peggy, my father wanted me to tell you to make sure and stop by the diner tomorrow because he bought some new coffee beans of some kind that he says you’ll love. Not really sure where he got them but he was very excited.” His father was very traditional and enjoyed the small community. He lived in Hadbury his entire life and never once had the desire to leave. The old man wasn’t even at the festival because he had to prep for post holiday hunger - the only way he knew how to show his love for his people.

“Miss Peggy, would you mind if I borrow Kristen for a moment?” he asked kindly, a respectful gesture was all. He moved to the side to speak to Kristen alone, not entirely happy he had to ask this of her to begin with but she was the only person he could trust at the diner. “Hey I have a huge favor to ask you...” he started, already feeling guilty seeing how busy she was with Elouise. “I would have asked Luke, but I don’t exactly know if he can keep his mouth shut about this. Look I.....I have a fight Saturday night,” he paused, letting her take in what he just said. “I have to be at the venue by nine which means I have to leave by eight and the diner closes at ten, so I was wondering if you would be willing to cover for me for the two hours? If you can’t I completely understand, you’ve got the baby and all and I don’t want to inconvenience you in any way, I just.....I don’t want anyone else knowing about this and I’m afraid if I keep telling people my dad will find out. As childish as that sounds, that’s where my life is at the moment...”​