Chase shook his head slightly, chuckling to himself. There was certainly nothing wrong with a healthy attitude towards exploring now was there? So long as one managed to remain out of trouble he reminded himself. He didn’t want to count the number of times he’d heard of people wondering off and getting lost in the woods overnight. He and his friends had all wondered off in there over time too, of course. But they had never gotten lost. He knew those woods too well to get lost, they were practically his backyard.

When she said she was only forty minutes or so from her house he took a moment to look around and seemed to be crunching numbers in his head. He looked at her for a moment before he spoke. “You’re maybe an hour or so from the town, if that’s anything to go by. I know the gps mapping around here is a bit old and can sometimes be a bit off. However my house is five minutes that-a-way. And then it’ll only be a ten minute drive.” He shrugged his shoulders slightly, not wanting to pressure her into anything. He could see how being offered a ride might be seen as creepy by some girls.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t push. If you’re happy to walk I don’t mind at all, though I’d rather walk with you, I can understand why you might not want that. But if you do want a lift then the offer stands and I promise it won’t be any trouble. I can probably pick up something from the store whilst I’m there… you have no idea what it’s like living in a house with five other boys… so to speak. I’m sure the extra food will not go unappreciated.” He shrugged again. He’d made his offer and whatever she hose, he’d accept with as much grace as was possible.

"Noooo, Google," Carys made a heartbroken little sound, both amused and slightly horrified. God, just where had she moved that her evil robot overlords were not supremely helpful? She hadn't really thought about what she might have to do away with when she'd planned this move. It had been more of a desperate escape than anything sensible.

Carys chewed on her lip for a long moment, debating what to do with this new information. She knew her need to be unobtrusive was practically pathological. She'd gotten used to doing everything herself, had taken pride in never asking for help. Her mother had called her foolish for it, once.

Steamrolling over unpleasant thoughts, Carys looked back up at Chase. Her storm grey eyes met his, and her bullheaded stubborn will was finally forced to concede.

"You know, you're being annoyingly gracious, considering I've barreled into you twice in as many days," Carys teased, although there was genuine warmth in her voice. "I want to be all like 'pffft, go on your way', but you're being all considerate and logical. I, um, if it really isn't a hassle, I'd really appreciate that ride?"

Asking for help felt so unnatural. Still, she couldn't lie to herself that much. She was exhausted, and all she wanted was to curl up in bed, even if it meant going back to that suffocating house.

Chase merely chuckled softly to himself and shook his head, his hair flopping lazily as he shrugged. “It isn’t annoyingly gracious to me, just how I was raised. People… people look out for one another around here. Being raised in such a large family group taught me the importance of treating people how you’d like to be treated.” He turned slightly, inviting the girl to walk beside him as they began making their way to his house. However they were quickly off the path and walking up through a well used dirt driveway through the forest with no real sign of a house through the trees.

“If you find you’re having too much trouble with your cell reception you might want to consider changing providers, I know there’s one that actually gets fairly good service out here. Can’t remember the name off the top of my head though.” He made a mental note to get the name for her when they reached the house. After that though he walked along for a long time without really saying much. The road seemed to stretch on forever before eventually houses started to come into view.

There was a fairly large clearing just up ahead, half a dozen houses sitting neatly throughout it, as if it weren’t the middle of a forest and just some urban neighbourhood. There were no fences, just trees and all the houses were surprisingly modern, so much so that they looked very out of place in such a rustic setting with big, open floor plans and large windowed walls allowing you to see straight into the kitchen, dining and living room for most of them. It kind of gave a similar feel to those houses you had right on the beach that were as open as possible to make you feel like you were outside.

Inside it was very easy to see a few people moving around and talking to each other comfortably. The familiarity and trust was all too clear though the boys from the beach were nowhere to be seen. Chase barely paused, instead walking over to a large enclosed garage, heaving up the roller doors to reveal a variety of vehicles, a few cars, all fairly new or at least in very well kept condition and a half dozen motorcycles that seemed dirty, but otherwise fine. “Now, did you want the comfort of a car or the excitement of a bike?” The boy asked with almost a tone of challenge in his voice as he smirked at the girl.

“You say that like it’s obvious,” Carys remarked with something like wonder in her voice. She shuffled to fall into step with his longer stride, arms folded beneath her chest. Sand and the tide quickly gave way to a winding dirt path and endless trees. The shade was a blessed relief, a breeze whispering through the foliage. Carys didn’t think she’d ever seen so much green in her life, her grey eyes tracing endless lines. The world seemed quieter, as if someone had muffled speakers and turned down the volume. It was almost alien. “I don’t think I’ve ever known my neighbors names; I mean, even before I moved to Manhattan. We just always kept to ourselves.”

It sounded kind of pitiful, she realised after she’d said it. Luckily, Chase mentioned something incredibly practical; switching carriers. It might be worth just dropping the money to do it, but she felt strangely torn about it. She’d had her number for years—if she changed it, it was like she was making this real.

Which was a stupid hang up, considering she had already abandoned her career and moved halfway around the world, but Carys ignored that thought.

“I’d appreciate that,” she said simply. They came upon a sudden clearing, where a handful of houses fanned out across the area. They were beautifully built, sleek lines and open windows that reminded her of ritzy neighborhoods she’d commuted through for years. Carys found herself averting her gaze, feeling strangely like a voyeur. She shifted uncomfortably, hanging back and studying the skyline of trees as Chase busied himself with a garage door.

His voice pulled her from her forced fascination of the trees. Carys’ quirked an eyebrow at…was that a challenge in his voice? Her lips curved into a grin as she turned to face him, head cocked to one side. That was unexpected. Of course, she didn’t exactly know him beyond his patience with her lack of spatial awareness. Still, she’d marked him for someone quiet, passive even. He didn’t know what he was getting himself into, tempting her competitive streak like this. Carys almost felt sorry for the poor guy.

“Oh, I don’t know, I’m awfully fragile,” Carys swept a hand to her chest, voice prim. The effect was ruined by the fiendish glee glittering in her grey eyes and her enthusiastic bound forward. “Try not to overwhelm my delicate sensibilities with too much excitement.”

There was no malice in her teasing. Carys finally closed the distance, an easy grin spread across her features.

“But seriously, vroom vroom,” she said lightly, indicating with her head to the proffered motorcycle, very seriously indeed.

Chase nodded his head to the side at her, a fiendishly delighted smile crossing his face as he picked up Chloe’s helmet and tossed it gently to the girl, a yellow and black, full face helmet with white stars on it. He figured that would be the closest match size wise. Moving over to the column between the two roller doors he ran his fingers along the sets of keys before snatching one up. He moved over to a red and white bike and wheeled it out of the garage. He grabbed a helmet of his own and quickly put it on before moving back over to the bike.

Wiping the seat over a few times with his hands before pulling down the passenger foot pegs and climbing on Chase started up the bike and made sure it was running smoothly before turning it back off and gesturing the girl over so he could talk to her. Now, realistically this bike would have been too tall for her to ride on her own, their heights were quite varied so Carys would have had trouble touching the ground once she was sitting on it. Luckily a pillion didn’t need to touch the ground but he figured it would be safer to go over some of the things she should know before they left.

He had no idea about her experience on a bike and figured it would be better to be safe than sorry. “Okay, so you just get to sit back here the whole time, feet on the pegs and you can hold onto my around the waist or shoulders, or on that strap behind your butt. Don’t be afraid of it, that’s what it’s there for. When we come to a stop you can keep your feet on the pegs, don’t try and touch the ground like I do. Most importantly, I need you to try and lean with me in the turns.

Don’t fight them and try and stay upright or you’ll change the course of the bike. I know it can be a little scary if you’ve never been on a bike before but you need to trust me okay? I’m gonna keep you safe. But, if you want we have spare bike jackets in case you’re worried.” He pointed to a rack which had a number of tough looking Kevlar, leather and other assorted material jackets hanging from it. “When you’re ready, just climb up and we’ll head into town. When we start getting close to your house just tap me on the shoulder and I’ll slow down so you can point me in the right direction okay?”

Carys had always jumped feet first, with little care for ‘plans’ or ‘having any idea what she was doing’. It usually worked out alright. Sometimes she came out worse for the wear, with bruised ribs or ego. She hadn’t died yet; she had to at least be doing something right, despite her near pathological recklessness.

Trying something new and actually having a primer beforehand was like being spoiled. Carys listened, suppressing her own impatient need to act as Chase ran through basics, borrowed helmet in her small hands. She could practically feel her blood surging through her veins, desperate to follow this mad impulse through.

It sounded simple enough—not unlike sailing, really. Don’t overthink, find the rhythm in the pitch, trust the craft. Carys knew how to sink into rhythms like she knew how to breathe. Her lips curved into a wide grin, eyes bright at the prospect.

“Don’t get in the way, got it,” she summarized airily. That’s what it boiled down to, really.

Carys was very pleased that placing the (adorable) helmet on her head went off without a hitch. The bike was obnoxiously tall, as was everything else in life, but Carys was surprisingly nimble. Focus, it seemed, was the key.

Settling in behind Chase, her feet found the aforementioned pegs. She hesitated for only a breath before her hands settled at his waist. Because, well, she wasn’t going to waste such a perfectly acceptable opportunity to indulge in physical contact with someone this attractive. Carys was practical like that.

Chase moved to open his mouth when Carys summarised what he’d said… poorly. However before he could move to speak she was already on the back of the bike, helmet on. The boy could only wince as he started up the bike. She seemed eager, possibly too eager. Chase began to worry perhaps this had not been his best idea. But he was a man of his word and he refused to go back on it. He slowly pulled out of the field and onto the driveway leading back to the main road.

He was taking it slow at first, taking the bends easy. He figured Carys would probably assume that he was taking it easy because of her and, whilst that was a factor it was mostly because of himself. He needed to gauge how she handled on the back, how much she would lean or fight and how her weight affected how the bike handled. Truth be told it had been a while since he had doubled and bikes were dangerous, as confident as he felt on one it was important to always remember how easily things could go from fine to disastrous.

Not to mention he’d have a hard time explaining broken bones. However they were only a few minutes down the road before he began picking up the pace, taking it to a point she would find exciting. However he made sure to keep it to the speed limit, Chase didn’t want to get in trouble with the small amount of law they had around here, and he was kind of scared of her roommate and no doubt she’d have a go at him if she found out he put her friend in unnecessary danger. In no time at all they were nearing the town, signs of buildings and inhabited life popping up here and there.

It was wildly different from anything else in her experience. It took her a moment to adjust to the bizarre sensation of her lack of control. Carys breathed deep, willing herself to surrender to Chase's direction, despite the protestations of her own instincts.

They curved through the woods, and Carys turned her gaze skyward, wondering at the quiet. It was staggeringly beautiful here, verdant and lush. She wanted nothing more than to explore it. Soon, she promised herself.

They were accelerating, and Carys' squeak of surprise was swallowed by the purr of the engine and the rush of wind. Her grip on Chase tightened, stomach fluttering and pulse leaping in her skin. The scenery whipped by; before she knew it, the woods had given way to open spaces and houses popping up. Carys felt a laugh bubble out of her, delighted by the rush.

As they darted through town, Carys ran through her own mental map. As they neared the far edge, she spied Aurora. Her knuckles rapped on his shoulder. When he'd slowed enough, she spoke brightly, "I'm all the way at the end here."

Aurora was a straight shot of beautifully manicured bungalows, each more beautiful than the last. They'd have gone for millions of dollars back stateside, she mused, with sprawling floorplans and each with their own distinct charm.

Her stomach clenched at the sight of her two story home, all crisp white wood and black trim with open, friendly windows. The covered porch wrapped around the entire front of the house, with an immaculately tended garden of roses and lilies, shaded by large trees. It was, objectively, a beautiful home. She'd have never been able to have afforded it on our own in all her days.

Carys ignored the tumult in her heart when they pulled into her brick drive. It was easier to ignore it on the tail of the ride, and she sank back into that joy.

Disembarking the bike, Carys rocked on the balls of her feet. She was laughing as she pulled off the helmet, eyes dancing.

"That was awesome!" She enthused, tossing her tousled bangs out of her face, grin wide and heart fluttering like a hummingbird.

Chase switched off the bike and got off the bike after the girl, pulling his helmet off and chuckling softly to himself. “Well you’re welcome to come over when you’re free and try out the dirt bikes. We have a few trails through the woods and you should be able to ride Chloe’s bike, it’s a bit smaller.” If not they did have bikes for younger kids. Hopefully she didn’t go too overboard. That was if she wanted to accept the offer of course. He suddenly remembered the offer of the phone provider and mentally smacked himself in the head.

“Oh! Right… the phone thing.” He quickly patted his pockets down but realized they were empty. “Sorry I don’t have mine on me. Um… if you have a pen or something I could write down my number and you can text me and I’ll message you the name?” He shrugged his shoulders slightly, trying to ignore how absolutely awkward he was feeling. It was so strange for him, not knowing everything about the person he was talking to. Her mind was a total blank to him, where as his family were all open books, he practically knew everything they were thinking.

“Sorry… I um… you don’t have to if you don’t want to though.” He quickly yammered, taking a step backwards and shaking his head. God damn it he felt stupid. He was going to have a serious talk with someone when he got home. She was just a girl. Just one girl yet she had managed to put him more off his game more than pretty much anything else in his life. Had his sheltered life really left him unable to function normally with regular people? Yeah. Probably.

“You might come to regret that offer,” Carys flashed her teeth in a teasing grin, shifting her weight to one foot and resting the other on her calf. “I’ve been told I’m like a fungus. A particularly enthusiastic strain, no less.”

Fingers combing her hair off her face and into a semblance of order, she couldn’t help the widening grin as Chase fumbled over the phone provider, looking as though he’d shoved his foot halfway down his throat. Teeth sinking into her lower lip to suppress her laughter, Carys found herself strangely charmed. Fumbling was leaps and bounds better than aggressive posturing.

“Here, give me a sec,” Carys placed the helmet he’d leant her on the back seat of his bike. Twisting her bag to dig through it, she scoured it for something useful. Bobby pins, empty altoids tin, her wallet, loose change, there! Withdrawing a pen, she reached forward and caught his wrist. Pulling the cap off with her teeth, she wrote her number on the back of his hand, taking care not to dig too sharply into his flesh. Adding her name with large, looping letters, she looked up at Chase with a wide grin.

“I’d appreciate it,” she dropped his hand, capping her pen and dropping it back into her purse. “Thanks so much, for everything. Moving here’s been kind of…” she trailed off, making a motion with her hand, as if that described it. “Well, it’s been a lot. It’s nice to not be totally lost.”

Chase felt his throat catch as Carys suddenly grabbed his hand and he had to suppress the sudden urge to recoil from the touch. It wasn’t because he found her touch unpleasant or anything to that effect, it was more that he wasn’t used to strangers touching him and when his friends did it was usually at the very least playfully aggressive. Basically unexpected touching was generally not a generally pleasant experience for him. After the initial reaction though, he found himself relaxing and, oddly enough kind of enjoying the way she gently held his wrist, watching the loop of the pen as it marked the back of his hand.

He smiled slightly at her words and shrugged gently. “Don’t think too much of it. I just… moving to a new town where you don’t know anyone must be hard. I couldn’t imagine being all alone and…” He stopped himself, not wanting to continue anymore. Either he’d insult her or he’d make her feel bad and Chase didn’t want either of those. He didn’t want her to feel alone, he wouldn’t wish that on anyone. He just couldn’t imagine life alone, without his family. And she could be part of that. The others sometimes took a while to get used to new people; it would take them a while to let her in. He wasn’t sure if she’d ever be accepted into the inner circle, only time would tell with that one.

“Sorry I um… I’ll get going now and leave you to your things. I’m sure you’re eager to get off your feet and relax.” He stumbled a little, rolling the helmet over in his hands uncertainly.

She really didn’t mean to do it. But he was shuffling so awkwardly, fumbling over his words, fidgeting with his helmet, and it was beyond endearing. Carys laughed. It wasn’t a malicious thing, more a giggle than anything else, but she just couldn’t help it. Her grey eyes danced up at him, brow arching, her dimple making an appearance.

“Well, I’m not completely alone, right?” she said with a grin, letting the statement hang in the air.

“If I’d slept for more than eight hours in the past three days, I’d invite you in for coffee or something,” Carys said lightly, fingers fiddling with the ends of her brunette locks. “But Past Carys made some really poor life choices, and now Present Carys needs a thirty hour nap. Or a nice relaxing coma.”

She reached out, gently punching his arm, the motion playful.

“But text me, yeah? When I finally rise from my eternal sleep, I’m going to need someone to show me around properly, and I’m pretty sure my roommate is swamped with university. It was good seeing you, Chase,” she offered a small wave, taking a few steps backwards before finally turning and making a beeline for her box-filled bedroom, intent on finally sleeping.

Funnily enough, the laugh helped him relax a little. Chase managed a smile in return as she looked at him with a grin, though a somewhat puzzled look did make its way into his eyes at her words. He wanted to believe maybe she was talking about him, but he also didn’t want to get his hopes up too high so allowed himself to believe it was about her roommate instead. “It’s alright.” He dismissed casually with a small wave of his hand. “You just go sleep.” Luckily he didn’t even flinch at the punch, too many over the years from his friends. At this point sometimes Chase questioned whether he had any feeling left in his arms.

“And if you need any help unpacking or any heavy lifting, just let me know okay?” He was fairly sure he could move most of her thins on his own, but he’d probably bring the others around, just to be safe. “I can bring the boys around, plus they work for free as long as I feed them.” He chuckled softly, knowing the promise of endless pizza would be more than enough to get them out here to do a bit of heavy lifting. He hoped she didn’t take offence, but he didn’t feel like between her roommate and herself Carys would be able to move much. Then again he’d been surprised before by the small dynamo.

“It was good seeing you too.” He called back as the girl turned and went back to her house and quickly disappeared inside. The boy stood out there for a few minutes, long enough that it was probably too long before he eventually pulled his helmet back on and climbed on the bike, starting it up and pulling out into the street, quickly making his way home and hopefully not copping too much flack from the others. It was all in good fun and he tried not to let it get to him. He had just never been the most confident around strangers, let alone girls.

Carys slept for sixteen hours, not thirty. It was as if she'd time traveled; one moment she had just collapsed on her bed, the next moment it was the middle of the morning. Eyes easing open, she winced at the sunlight streaming happily through her bay windows. Foggy with sleep, Carys missed her night stand the first time. Her hand tried again, fingers catching the edge. A third try, she caught a cord and sent her phone flying onto the ground.

Carys groaned, pressing her face into her pillow. Maybe she could just give up on today and sleep it all away.

Instead, Carys managed to sit up, brunette hair all askew, grey eyes unfocused. It was cold, she mused in annoyance. Disentangling her legs from the sheets, she wrapped the pale cotton around her slim frame. That was dressed enough for now.

After several moments, she slipped off her bed. Fishing her phone out from between boxes, she flipped through it. Junk email from lists she didn't remember subscribing to, Facebook notifications, a few texts that made her frown before deleting them. That scumbag really didn't understand the meaning of "no contact". Maybe a new number was in order.

First things first, she mused; she needed to shower and see if she could become human, and not simply a Carys shaped lump. She couldn't put off unpacking much longer, as desperately unappealing as it sounded.

“What are you doing?”

Chase practically jumped, if that was possible to do whilst hanging off a bed. He did, however drop his phone and gasp and drop his phone that he had been staring at. “Ash! How many times have I asked you to knock?” He quickly replied, avoiding the question as he looked up at the small girl at his door.

“Have you not texted her yet?” The brunette smiled as she slid into the room, her long hair swishing past her hips as she moved over to sit on the bed. Lying next to the older boy as he picked up his phone she couldn’t help but smirk. “Please just tell me you’re not avoiding texting her because of something Ryan said.” Ash asked, raising an eyebrow at Chase as he refused to look at her and lowered his head slightly in shame.

“He said I’ll look desperate if I text her before twenty-four hours.” He replied softly, wincing slightly at the groan from his younger sister. Luckily enough, the social awkwardness didn’t run in the family, Chloe had made sure Ash was a perfectly well matured member of society. For an eleven year old.

“Ryan is an idiot.” The girl simply stated. “He also has no idea about girls and how we work. Don’t listen to him. It’ll look like you’re being rude. Text the girl already. Ask her if she needs help moving anything again and tell her the provider. It’s like a bandaid. Just rip it off, kay?”

Chase nodded slightly and quickly wrote in the message and sent it off, earning himself a slap on the back as Ash got up and walked out of the room, hoping it snapped the boy out of the silly funk he’d been in the past few hours. Seriously what would he do without her?

"That smells amazing," Carys called, bare feet padding down the wooden stairs. She rounded the corner, wet hair bouncing as she went. The sitting room gave way to an expansive kitchen and dining room, awash in natural light. Crisp white wood, granite, and black trim gleamed bright.

At the stove, Audrey was bustling over a pan, the source of the aforementioned delicious smell. The dark woman looked up with a grin, shaking her head.

"It's just grilled cheese."

"And it smells divine. Please tell me there's some for me."

"I'm not so cruel as to deny a woman grilled cheese," Audrey intoned, turning off the gas to the stove and bringing the pan around. Carys seated herself at the counter, dropping her hands to her chin.

"You are an angel," Carys grinned as Audrey plated the sandwich and slid it towards her. "Seriously, hallelujah and all that."

"For a sandwich?" Audrey snorted, clearing up. Carys was too busy eating to respond, delighting in gooey cheese and crisp, buttery bread. This was proof that the world was kind and good.

"Yes," Carys said finally, leaning her head briefly against Audrey's shoulder. "Thank you. I'm sorry my boxes are still in the way. I'll get them sorted today."

"I'm in no rush," Audrey assured.

Shut up and dance with me! trilled suddenly, breaking the silence. Fishing her phone out her back pocket, Carys opened the text, grey eyes scanning it quickly. Her lips curved into a grin, thumbs dancing in response.



"Mind if Chase comes over to help me get those boxes cleared?" Carys cocked her hsad to one side, grinning. At the look on her roommates face, the grin turned to a frown. "Okay, so what's the deal? I mean, he's kind of awkward, but it's fumbly-cute, not 'going to wear my skin' creepy awkward."

"Look," Audrey began delicately. "I'm not saying there's anything to worry about. I'm not saying don't be friends--there's just...rumors, about them. And I know that rumors are 90% bullshit--"

"What kind of rumors?" Carys interrupted, impatient.

"Just...whispers. Their lot, they keep to themselves, out in the woods. People go missing out there. Not a lot, just...enough."

Carys cocked a brow.

"So...being reclusive and living in a sketch place is a bad thing?" She quipped with a laugh, shaking her head. "Shit, that was me in New York."

"I know, it's probably nothing. Just--just be careful, Carys."

It took a few hours, which didn’t surprise or worry Chase at all. He knew with the reception out here sometimes it can take phones a while before they got the message and then usually longer when they sent them there was also the chance that Carys was simply busy. So really a few hours was quite fast of a reply. The boy made a mental note to thank Ash later. Then again she did have an unfair advantage, being a girl and all. He shuddered to think one day she may come to him on boy advice. Hopefully she’d have the sense to ask Mason.

Quickly he shot off a reply, knowing full well he may get there before it did.



Hopefully he remembered where she lived, though it hadn't been that hard to get to from what he remembered. Worst case he could use his phone gps. The boy quickly got ready, having a quick shower and getting changed before he headed out to the shed. It had been a fairly quiet day, all things considered. He hadn't seen Mason or Ryan anywhere. Chances were they were just doing their own thing today, which was fine. They all needed a bit of me time every now and then. He pulled out a different bike to the one he’d dropped Carys off in, slightly bigger, more powerful and blue.

His personal favourite. Starting the thing up he quickly left the yard and was out onto the dirt road. Anyone could message him if they got too worried, he doubted it, but it was always a possibility. Plus Ash knew where he was going. Roughly thirty five minutes after sending the message he arrived at the house, having only gotten mildly lost. Luckily the town wasn’t really that big, so there weren’t many wrong places to go. Leaving the bike on the side of the road he made his way up to her house, remembering it from the other day.

He knocked tentatively, hoping he wasn’t intruding. He had been invited, but honestly he couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually had to knock on someone’s door and wait to be invited inside. It was strange what just became second nature and what seemed normal when you grew up with it. Maybe he should have brought something… like a house warming present or something. Oh well. Too late now.

It occurred to Carys, as she received Chase's text, that she should probably not be wearing her pajamas at quarter to noon. Her Juilliard sweat pants had seen better days, and the tank she'd pulled out was covered in paint from when she'd helped a friend remodel two summers ago. At least she'd showered. She'd been halfway to her bedroom when a gentle knock at the door heralded her company's arrival. Shit.

Carys padded towards the door, unlocking it and habitually reaching for a chain that wasn't there. Right. House in the suburbs, not her dingy apartment. Opening it wide, she looked up at Chase as she leaned against the door jam.

"Hey you," Carys grinned apologetically. He'd had the sense to wear real clothes, not beat up pajamas. There were a few holes near the hem of her shirt, and the bottom inch of the sweats had been stained from dragging on the ground, slightly too long for her stature. "Come in. Sorry about the mess."

Opening the door wide and beckoning him in, she stepped aside. She locked the door afterwards on instinct, barely giving it a thought.

"So, I literally just realized that I should probably not wear pajamas, because I suck at adulting," Carys laughed at herself lightly. "I'm going to put actual people clothes on, I'll be right back. Help yourself to whatever, I think there's some IPAs left in the fridge."

It felt like he had been waiting for an eternity, though really it could only have been thirty seconds or so. He couldn’t help but smile as she opened the door and grinned at him. She looked more than a little cute in her sweat pants and a tank top. A small chuckle escaped him as he followed her inside and she tried to excuse the mess and her clothes. He couldn’t say he was dressed particularly nice or anything like that, a loose blue shirt, some black board shorts and a pair of sneakers could hardly be called adult attire.

“Don’t even worry about it; the mess is what I’m here for. As for the clothes, you’re up early from your thirty hour nap as far as I’m concerned. I should be honoured.” He followed her up the hall before finding the kitchen and letting himself in. Truth be told he wasn’t entirely sure what an IPA was, it took a bit of investigation into the fridge to discover it was beer but he really wasn’t much of a drinker outside of special occasions so he left it be, taking a seat as he looked around the kitchen casually as he waited.

Boxes were strewn about the kitchen, the same as the hall. There didn’t look like too much really heavy lifting from what he could see, though there might be more elsewhere in the house. Really he’d only seen the hallway and kitchen. For a moment Chase wondered if her roommate was around and he looked around suddenly anxious. It was silly, to be so nervous about her but he wasn’t exactly the most confident person around strangers. maybe one day he'd get over it though, as unlikely as it was.

She really needed to unpack her room. Boxes were stacked haphazardly across the floor, clothes littering the hardwood as she'd hunted for particular garments. The bed was unmade and a massive suitcase lay on her window seat, innards exposed and trailing onto the floor. Carys winced. She wasn't a clean freak by any means, but she wasn't usually this sloppy.

Nose scrunched in concentration, Carys dug through one of the boxes in search of something suitably unwrinkled. After several moments she was rewarded with a loose cream top and floral patterned shorts. She took a moment to braid her still-drying hair. Satisfied that she no longer looked like a gremlin, Carys padded out of her room.

Chase wasn't difficult to find, lingering in the kitchen, no IPA in sight. His loss. Grinning widely, she jerked her thumb over her shoulders to the stairs.

"All the boxes taking over the dining room are going upstairs, I figure we should get that over with."

Flouncing to the impressive pile--boxes mostly packed with books and display pieces--she lifted one and balanced it against her hip, leading the way with her usual enthusiasm.

The upstairs was a sprawling room, walls lined with handsome, mostly empty bookcases, and massive windows that let in the light. Crisp white trim and wood with rich, navy walls, it had the makings of a studio. Three cellos had been stood near a window, one electric and paired with a large amplifier and neatly wound cables. A thin folding chair and stand were leaned against the nearby wall. It was evident that that was the only bit of unpacking Carys had bothered to do in the three days she had lived in Port Byrne.

Setting her box down in front of one of the emptier bookcases, she grinned apologetically to Chase.

"Sorry, I realised I shouldn't have packed all my books into their own boxes when I tried moving them in New York, but by then it was too late to fix it. Oops."