---

---

Since arriving in Silvervale, Ritz has done well for himself: getting steady grades and credits sure to get him on the dean's list, a whole apartment of new friends (some still to be had), getting a job waiting tables and occasionally MCing for Pink Barrel (one of the local bars at Rebecca's Hole), and being able to sell some of his arts and crafts out (+profit!!!) thanks to the weekend markets at the Trade Center. It was nice coming back to a place he's grown to love, even if he did just lived here for a year. One could say Ritz has settled easily in the city, some people even mistake him for a native, part of it is thanks to Bert and just how naturally welcoming Silvervale is and part of it is his own little quirks fitting well with the locale. It has been a very eventful 2 months for Ritz; having been assigned as an assistant set designer for this year's production of Tinker Town though he would have liked to be in the ensemble, he's a month late for casting even as an understudy. The previous holder of his position backed out due to conflicting schedules and to be honest, Ritz was pretty thankful for the opportunity. It gave his brain ample distraction from the nagging fact that he's been away from his family for too long, not that the frequent video calls and dotingly messaging them didn't quite suffice.

So there he sat, at one of the affordable generic cafes in Tinker Base unsurprisingly packed in the middle of the afternoon, on his table a tablet hoisted up by his binder having a grande chai latte and a slice of chocolate mousse cake. Sporting homey hair and a very comfy kinda-tan-maybe-a-discolored-orange sweater though somehow still looking fashionable, all slightly worn from arranging last minute preparations for the musical starting in a few days while trying to brush off the need for a nap. He's been trying to get a hold of Gwen on skype for the past hour but she seems to be quite occupied, maybe asleep, possibly away, maybe in trouble?, actually in trouble?, what if she was? his heart skipped a bit. Is the internet just slow? Maybe it is, or she's just probably doing something very hands on, right? He convinced himself and before another troubling thought came to mind, her face popped up from his tablet screen, he instantly lit up.

"OH THANK GOD, I thought you were---" he exclaimed but immediately got cut off "DEAD? Hyung, I'm doing just fine. You need to chill, I left my phone upstairs and I was busy with something." she said matter of factly, well acquainted with his brother's unrelenting concerns. "Of course I knew that, I'm confident you're well and capable on your own. ANYWAY, hi and how's life Gwinnie?" asking as if they haven't talked just two nights ago as he sipped and choked on his coffee. She smiled as if holding in a bit of a snicker, finding humor at her brother's expense. Gwen had a slightly tilted smile, something she got from their mother, which Ritz has always found some comfort in. Though at first glance you wouldn't take the two as siblings due to huge differences in their profile (Ritz with his sharp features and Gwen with her soft visage), once you observe them together you'd find they're two peas in a pod of and course you'd also notice Ritz was more dramatic in contrast to Gwen who can get pretty stoic. "I'm doing great lowkey fantastic, I haven't felt as chill in ever." she replied, her last words slightly hindered by a quiet chatter in the background. "Well, it's called a gap year for a reason. Is that dad I'm hearing? Who's he talking to? Also you look slightly skinny, have you been eating fine? You need to get something more substantial than just fast food." sincerity heard in his last comment while to someone unfamilliar, the comment would have felt like a jab but of course Gwen knew better. "I'm eating alright! I've just been watching my weight lately, okay? Don't sweat it. And yes dad's here." She hollered over at the man in question and eventually he appeared on screen, holding the phone panned up from his chin. "No, dad, face it in front of you like eye level, Hyung is eating and I don't think he wants to be all up in your nose business." Ritz heard, her voice seemed to come from a farther proximity of the phone.

"Hey kid, how's Silvervale?! We miss you big time though we're doing great here, you're sister's been learning some farm stuff from the Griffith's lately and for some reason, there's been a surge of heaters malfunctioning so business is doing swell." Gwen, doing hard labor? Gwen who hates getting mud in her shoes? that's unusual, she hasn't shown much interest in farming as far as he remembered. "I missed you too, wish I could visit soon but I'm packed for the next few months. Don't overwork yourself dad. And farming, really? that's great... though unexpected, well have you asked her what her plan after the year is yet?" He was worried, she hasn't shown interest in going back to school or mentioned anything about getting a job. He'd just hate for her to be a bum, and the old man needs to retire soon, though Ritz isn't entirely basking in money he is financially okay so Gwen would probably do fine if she'd get a job too. He knew she's smart and is actually really confident in her capabilities to be well off by herself. "Actually, she has mentioned something about getting into Agriculture, maybe she could try for SVU?" His voice louder towards the end to which she responded "OR ELSEWHERE! I don't want to bother Ritz, dad and I don't think SVU is very up there in that field." Although admittedly her company would comfort him, she is probably better off elsewhere. "Yeah, she's making sense THOUGH I wouldn't mind having you here but that's good, that's a start." He smiled feeling content about the worry off his list, a pretty long list. "Well okay kid, I'm sure you'll figure it out as you always do." A doorbell rang from the other side of the call. "I'll get that."

The phone transferred on to Gwen picking at what looked like veggie fritters, an extra hand caught by the camera as it swiftly pulled away while she pulled an expression that seemed to have scolded the owner of said hand. A guest? "Yo, you've got someone over?" hoarse-throated Ritz inquired, "Yup, just a few friends." On a random Thursday afternoon? "Oh, cool, who're they?" It's strange because they weren't particularly the type to invite people over, Ritz was always the one who took to things like that. "Just some neighbors." she replied, sounding off a little cagey as she darted her eyes off the screen. What's with the tone? "That's nice, you're making neighbor friends now huh? We stan progression." he said trying to disarm what's become an awkward tinge in the air. "Yeah, it's great whod've thought occassionally socializing with people could be refreshing." And then this husky bass unembodied voice went "Heyy, John, taste this!" Ritz' eyes widened, "Hot smokin fritters, this is delightful!" the countriest sounding twang uttered. "Told ya, you did it justice Gwinnie!" wait, she cooks now? the husky bass voice proclaimed. It didn't take Ritz too long to realize what was happening and for a moment, his jaw unhinged. He raised both brows up, the way people do when they want to express "I can't believe this" or "you can't be serious" but don't want to put it in words. Gwen put a thumbs up over to her left in response to whoever it was from the other side as she sneakily made some distance away from them. "Listen, before you say anything or freak out or get maybe mad slash frustrated and confused." she ended with a little sigh. "He's my friend too, he just wanted to hang out, don't.make.it.weird." He furrowed his brow, pretending like he doesn't understand why she's explaining. He shook his head, forcing a smile that probably came out more like grimace. "NO, it's totally great, I'm so glad you and dad have someone to hang with and it's not weird. You're the one making it weird, shush. I'm totally fine and cool with it, why wouldn't I be?" UHM IDK MAYBE BECAUSE YOUR YOUNGER SISTER AND YOUR DAD IS GETTING COZY WITH YOUR EX BESTFRIEND/EX BOYFRIEND BEHIND YOUR BACK? "Well you've been gone and you know it can get very lonely for us here so let us have this and be fine with it." Gwen plead totally not buying his brother's bullshit.

He exhaled deep tugging at his sweater palms "OKAY, yeah no, I totally get it." "SO, I'll drop the call now, DAD SAY BYE TO RITZ!!"Gwen switched to the back camera revealing a waving Eleanor "BYE KID, TAKE IT EASY, WE LOVE YOU!!" Ritz blew him a kiss in response. "Okay well, don't worry about us and good luck on the play!" Clearly they were doing just fine "Alright, I love you Gwinnie, take care of pops! AND EAT BETTER, props to cooking, that's at least step in the right direction, we love a little chef moment!" dramatically putting his unoccupied hand to his chest "kbyeloveyoutakecare" she replied in one quick breath. She's always had trouble with displays of affection, it's one of those little things that he and Ritz contrasted from. And just like that, Ritz was left with a slight bit of unease. Apparently they've been doing just fine, maybe being away from them was for the better because now they're open to having to invite other people into their life by themselves? Maybe Ritz has been the one keeping them from acting on their own about those kind of things? It seems they've made at least one new person step into the Gang House, so that's something. They don't need me anymore, they'll be just fine. The thought sounded more remorseful than thankful in his head. And also, hanging out with Clarke Gabriel? I just... I have no words. Though it's not like they ended it sourly, how did we even end it again? They haven't properly talked, Ritz barely even got words in and for some reason quiet guy Clarke actually did more of the talking. Maybe it was because that was how it went that Ritz felt strange about it. He rested his face square on the table, cupping his nape with sweater palms. What even is my life right now?

"Hey fart face, what's wrong?" A blonde girl in a pastel pink chiffon shirt dropped a stack of filled folders on Ritz' table. "Boy problems?" she nonchalantly nudged the facetabled Ritz then took a sip from her espresso. He begrudgingly lifted his head up, cheeks red from the pressure against the table. "Is it weird if your family still hangs out with your ex boyfriend?" he finally replied. "It depends, because was he close with them to begin with? And do you still have feelings for this guy? Are they also into him? Did they swipe him off of you? scandalous. But you know, people can be friends with their exes. It's a thing that happens." Hannah was a woman of many words. "You have a point but it's just so strange right now and I hate that it's strange and I'm just all sorts of upset for reasons." he sighed, deep. "Well, an annoying guy always tells me this 'sulking won't get you anywhere so just feel something else and move on' so take your own advise you hypocritic dickwad" she said in her trademark almost nagging somewhat comforting tone. "Well, anyway here are the papers on La Fontaine that you wanted. Told you I'd find it." she handed him the stacked folders with a self satisfied smile. "OH MY GOD YOU'RE AN ACTUAL GOD SEND, THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE YOU!" he exclaimed taking it as h stood up to hug her. "Uhm, that's actually a meal and a drink mind you." with slit eyes she threw him a sly smile. "Right right, just give me a heads up when." he nodded, "Is now good?" her glance turned over to the counter.

"Do you take love, affection and homecooked meals? Kind of tight right now, give it a week maybe?" Goofy pleading smile activated. Admittedly, he got broke from setting up a few things for the musical and from making some merchandise up for the Tinker Fair. "I won't say no to the first three items but what says your grande chai latte and choco mousse?" she teased with eyes narrowed, glare now directed back at his face. "Listen, Bert insisted to buy it for me because I babysat Vivi last night." he scowled. "Come on sister, look at you gitting it with a sugar zaddy!" she teased. "Stop it, NO! I'm still a self sufficient young man who's just a little broke right now!" his voice cracked as he furrowed his brows. "Sure, of course you are. Anyway speaking of Bert, that party's tonight? Are we still supposed to help out? Because I just got my nails did and I'm not really about that hard labor life right now and apparently first few sessions in the gym can also really really hurt. OH AND with that there was this cute guy from the treadmill giving do me eyes, but it turns out he lost his contact lenses and was just trying to figure out if I was someone he knew." Ritz snickered. "SO I was totes blue ballsed so we actually both technically have boy problems so let's also go hang with an after party tonight at Rebecca's Hole and grab us some boiz. I'm sure there's plenty because there will be tourists coming in for the festival." It was a nice plan, granted a bit all over the place but he did have the next two days free. "That's actually a good idea because I haven't properly drank in 3 months and I don't have plans for tomorrow anyway so yes totally let's do that thank you, you're a shining beacon of light. And you know what, you can just skip helping as part of my gratitude with the papers, just make sure to come before 9 because you'll miss Bert's meats." "Nice phrasing." she chuckled "You know I meant Bert's barbecue and ham, anyway let's just get this shit out of the way."

An hour and a half passed by, Ritz skimmed through the papers, highlighting keypoints about the history of La Fontaine's bordel, faster than he should have. "So, you're really going to take a political spin on the paper?" he asked not looking away from his task. "Yeah, fuck Smith's restrictions, I'm not letting this micro aggression against my gender be left unfought." typing on her Macbook air with resolve. "Alright, well you know I support you and I'll be there with you if he protests against it. Which hopefully he doesn't." he closed the folder, and cracked his knuckles "He doesn't have the gall, I'll talk about it on air if he even so much as give me a look."she sneered, Hannah wasn't the type of person you'd want to be enemies with, this Ritz knew from the start and still sometimes finds disturbing. Not from fear of her but more of concern with how she handles some things. They met on the first day of this technical writing course, they got partnered randomly to collaborate on a piece together. Who knew that two unstable heads with a passion for storytelling could actually make good writing partners without tearing each other's heads off? They didn't exactly clicked off as friends right from the start because they would always find themselves in awkward pauses while brainstorming. Ritz' narratives are usually passive-aggressive and can get a little too poignant, sometimes even convoluted. While Han's writing voice came off as somewhat aggressive and in your face. They spent an actual day, writing a 3 paragraphs essay because they kept revising their work. But through time, exercise, caffeine and enough conversations they eventually got their groove. At first, it was mostly because of Ritz' efforts because Hannah could care less as long as they got the work done. But as Ritz' persistent ass would have it, their writing partnership eventually bloomed into the wonderful mess of an arrangement that is their strange friendship.

"By the way, how's it going with your tenant friends? specifically what's his face, mister dreamy eyed stripper roommate of your life and sir flower man fragrant for the gods, last time we went drinking you were being gross going on about how cute they were and how you just want a man in your life to hold you. Lordt someone save this boi." Han teased, another thing she liked probing at with Ritz. "_{Shush Han, someone might hear you, god!} They have actual names you know." Ritz said, flustered because Hannah actually talks louder than how she thinks she does. "Why so sensitive? Softass." Palm to face, so quick. "Whatever, it's just a little crush and you know I fall in like with any guy who gives me even the slightest bit of attention." he argued, lips pursed. "Just trying to help and remind you your prospects, you know you can fix your boy problems by getting a new boyf." she grinned, obviously enjoying herself. "That's not, I mean, yes but STOP IT." "SEE, YOU'RE CONSIDERING IT AHA!" winning is Hannah's drug. "God fuck, okay. If I invite one of them to come with us to an after party, you'll leave me alone about this?" he reasoned, more directed towards himself than it was at Han. "YES PLEASE! The more the merrier because we do need to split the bill. Mom took my credit card privileges and you're not exactly with money right now." she clapped a tiny clap "Actually, I'm not even sure either of them are going to Bert's thing." he said immediately taking his phone. "But I'm going to find out now, well at least with Lix." _{"Oh my god, they were roommates."} she gasped, he flipped her off.

---

---

"There you go, that's that, let's finish schoolwork now." he said triumphantly, waving the phone at Hannah's face. "Uhm dude, bang with you?" she bursted in maniacal laughter, getting the attention of the closer tables. "OH FUCK! SHIT FUCK, UGH GOD I'M SUCH A DINK JESUS CHRIST!" he fumbled at the cancel button but it was too late.

---

---

Ritz again flattened his face square on the table. _{"Earth swallow me now."} he mumbled, fully embarassed. Han was just dead, laughing her soul out. It took them another thirty minutes to finish rushing through their schoolwork.

"Ritz, you should ring Nadia up too, we need as much people as we could for the billl and I need my dose of that spunky dumbass."
"DO I SMELL A LITTLE CRUSH?!?!" Ritz teased.
"Get me drunk enough and I might just consider it." Han, ever so shameless.

---

---

"It would be nice if the others would come along."
"You mwean some spwecific othews." tuned Han, in her embarassing baby voice. Ritz' eyes made a 360.

"Let's get a going, I needs to get my everything done awf for tonight. This pretty face needs a pretty 'fit." Han curtsied.
"I could help you with that." Ritz suggested,
"I think Bert needs your help more, sizt." Definitely true.
"Alright, but are you sure there's nothing I can help with?"
"Ugh go away mom, dote elsewhere, I'm an independent woman." Han practically shooing Ritz away, a usual scene before goodbyes with the young man.
They then hugged see-you-laters and went their own ways.

As expected, the streets were more crowded than usual, it's easy to differentiate the locals from the tourists because the latter have this bewildered almost enchanted looks on their faces. It's easy to get your head lost in Silvervale because everywhere you look there's a plaque or a statue, or a strange memento on display, or a house that looks slightly different from the rest. And there's something about the ever present blue-ish silver fog that hangs suspended in the air that just gives the town an idyllic feel. It's like if Silent Hill was not eerie, not fucked up and more strangely endearing. Ritz still gets stunned at how pretty Silvervale can get sometimes even though he's collectively lived here for a year and a half. Maybe the witches were real and they casted a charm on Silvervale to make it the way it is? he wondered. His inclination for the paranormal showing. He paved through the crowd and got his way to Redwood, it's almost mahogany brickwork standing out among the gray stoned neighboring complexes.

He ran his way up to the rooftop, finding his way to the lounge area where Vivi sat watching Teen Titans as she cut out triangles from blue and white colored paper. "VIVIII!!! What's up kid?" he said sitting down in front of the freckled, doe eyed girl. "Ritshhh!!" she exclaimed, her lisp comes out when she gets a little excited. "I'm doing some danglets for dad's party later, it's in Silvervale's official colors, Blue and Shilver!" extra factoid added because she's THE ONE, "ugh, Vivi your mind, we stan an informed queen!" "But what are danglets?" "You know, for dangling around and stuff." Ritz hugs Vivi, squeezing her a little too much. "canf breathe!" her voice muffled on Ritz' chest. "sorry, got carried away, ugh you're so precious I just can not! Where's dad?" "Setting up tables and getting the Karaoke up and at it." she pointed out to the deck, where Bert was fussing about full of spirit and cheer. "Alright, you continue your amazing work you little artisan, I'll go help your dad out!"

Ritz, now sported a denim jacket over a white button down, french-tucked into skinny denim jeans, looking much less fatigued than he did a few moments ago which is also thanks to a little makeup hiding the bag under his eye and the corners tinted with a little tangerine to distract from anything else. The sun hasn't set but it can be clearly seen slowly coming down the horizon, it painted the silvery blue atmosphere a tint of bright orange turning it almost pinkish. The cold February breeze wheezes in, maybe an outdoor party wasn't the best idea? But everyone will start coming in soon enough and it could get warm and cozy real fast. The rooftop usually adorned with various clothes basking in sunlight, now sports some chairs, equipments and tables still waiting to be set up.

"Yo Bert, the muscle is here, what can I help with?!" Ritz puffs up. "AH RITZ MY BOY, welcome, welcome, please feel free to fix up whatever you can!" Bert waved screwdriver on hand, stationed in front of a karaoke, though the man was pushing early 40's his physique fixing up the stumpy old machine barely shows it.

"AIGHT, LET'S GIT IT! Hyped to get to sing with that later by the way." Ritz said, doing a little shake as he picked up one of the coffee tables to set up.

The golden fingers of Dawn stretched across the apartment window occupying the small room, and proceeded to gently caress across a pale figure's eyes. Stirring a flutter of her eyelids, the girl groaned and turned away from the invasive sunlight- only to roll out of her bed and onto the floor with a heavy 'THUD!'. Now rudely awakened by gravity, the young woman unraveled herself from her bed sheet cocoon and pushed herself upright; a silver silk nightgown covering her slender form. Even despite the circumstance of the pain from rolling out of bed, she was content. Snapping back to focus, she groggily staggered her way toward the built-in bathroom adjacent to the closet, grabbing an outfit comprised of a white T-shirt and light grey jacket with dark blue denim jeans. Shutting the door behind her, Pepper proceeded to shower only for a few minutes; careful not to drain all of the hot water from the heater. Finally done, she turned off the showerhead and dried herself off prior to getting dressed. Within the next few minutes, the woman was carefully tip-toeing around the apartment trying to make herself breakfast without awakening her roommate. That was, if Charlotte wasn't already awake. Her roommate turned out to be just as silent as her, and it almost become impossible to not get startled once per day. Not that it was anything that bothered her; Charlotte was a sweetheart and was generally pleasant company to coincide with. Pepper finally sat down at the dining area with a bowl of cereal, and proceeded to eat in silence. So far, the day was turning out to be like any other, the only exception being that the Fire Department had given her the entire week off to celebrate the upcoming festival that was occurring in Redwood. It was a well deserved break for both her and Chris, all things considered.





Around the same time, the occupant of apartment 4A had risen from his slumber and was still sitting upright in his bed as he perked up to the sound of a barely audible 'thud!' coming from somewhere in the building following his shower. Dressed in a black T-Shirt and blue denim jeans, Chris furrowed his brow as he contemplated the sound for a few moments before glancing over to his nightstand, grabbing his dog-tags and adorning them around his neck. With a light sigh, the man stood upright and stretched before moving out of his room to the apartment kitchen. Preheating the stove, he reached underneath the lower cabinet to grab a skillet before placing the skillet on the stove top. Following that, the man opened the fridge and retrieved a stick of butter; opening the packaging and quickly lopping off a moderate square into the pan before closing the wrapping up and returning the butter back inside the fridge. With the refrigerator door still open, he opened the egg carton and grabbed four eggs; cracking them into the skillet as the heat already began to cook the yolk faster than he could close the carton lid and shut the refrigerator door. Grabbing a freshly washed spatula hanging on the utensil rack just beside the sink, he stirred the eggs in separate groups around the pan as he flipped them gently with the spatula. He hoped Stark- Roxy would be alright with his culinary choice for breakfast. After cooking the eggs to a general medium, he plated them both and sat the plates on the opposite sides of the dining table adjacent to the kitchen counter. Without even realizing it as he was preparing the bacon, Chris began nonchalantly humming an unfamiliar tune as he gritted his teeth in between the sudden, violent pops of bacon grease flying out of the pan. Chris was content as well, both for being allotted the break by his superiors at the Fire Department for the holiday and having the good grace to live a life of retirement. He wouldn't admit it to a stranger on day one, but this was the community he was grateful for.

---

“Oh no haha, please don't touch those,” quickly yet awkwardly, Xavius moved from behind the small counter where he was currently discussing bouquets for Valentine's day with a mother, her small child standing next to her, _{until he wasn't of course,} as he had started pulling petals off of some of the flowers that sat next to the entryway and tossing them to the ground, which, to be frank, he made sure to keep well swept. He disliked messy things, and that included children, for in fact, they are messy things. And to be honest, they kind of scared him; first of all: They were unpredictable, a trait he found undesirable and confusing. Second: They almost never listened and could be really cruel at times, but could get away with it because they were small and “innocent”. And third: Children were once again, horrifyingly messy. Maybe he was just over analyzing, but it was reasonable. To him anyway. Plants were better.

The familiar panicky feeling rose up in his chest once more as he tried to gently swat away the grubby hands of the child from tearing apart his flowers. That's another thing about kids: They were destructive. Like bulldozers from Hell, or something. God, he really didn't want to touch this child. Thankfully, the kid's mother rushed over and gently pulled her kid away, essentially saving him from the uncomfortable situation. Giving an embarrassed smile, the mother lowered her head a little, apologizing for her son, who didn't look nearly as apologetic. “I am SO sorry. I- he just kinda does what he wants, I should have kept a better eye on him, I'm very sorry. Is there anything I can do? Can I pay for it?”

“Oh no, don't even worry about it. It's so small, I can't even notice that he even did anything, it would be rude of me to make you pay,” but in truth, almost half of the flower was destroyed. “We all know how children can be; they make small mistakes that can be forgiven, yes?” but oh how he wanted to say some other things such as: Well maybe you could glue the petals back on? I dunno, just an idea, or We all know how children can be: Demonic, yes? But she was a customer and that would be rude.

“Thank you so much, and again, I'm sorry, I would've left him at home, but there was no one to watch him,” she explained.

“It's fine, it's fine, I totally understand. I mean, I was once that kid, my mother had to take me everywhere,” Xavius chuckled, walking back to the front counter, grabbing a small card from a stack and bringing it back to her. ”Anyway, here's my business card, and when you have an idea on what you want, just give me a call and I'll have it ready asap. It has my email and business phone number right at the bottom,” he gave a polite smile, folding his hands. In some ways he could relate to the kid, not meaning that he had the mind of a six year old, but the position he was in. He was almost tempted to give advice to the woman about raising him, assuming that she was a single mother, but he stopped himself as she just smiled and nodded at him, walking out the door, the little bell ringing above the door as they went through.

Watching them leave, as soon as they were out of sight, Xavius sighed and relaxed a little, the tension in his body leaving. Usually he loved to be around people, but interactions like this drained him physically and mentally. Luckily, it was near closing time, so he took off his apron and hung it up, double checked all of his plants to make sure they were fine, and straightened things up before turning off the lights and leaving, locking the door and turning the sign over to say “closed”.

It was hard to drive around this time of year, considering the festival was happening, so instead he walked back to the apartment, Redwood. The festival was actually quite interesting, especially since this would be his first time seeing it, and he admired all of the planning that went into it. Some would say this would be the golden opportunity to have his business open since all of the people would be here, but to be honest, he just wanted to take everything in and enjoy the activities, especially the wishing thing he heard about, he really wanted to do that one. Or maybe the play, that one sounded fun. He was a sucker for a play.

A few conversations later, while trying to avoid large crowds but failing, Xavius had finally managed to make it home, waving to a few people he had stopped to talk to as he walked in, heading straight to his room to clean himself up, getting ready for the rooftop party thing that was happening, which he had been pretty excited for all day, though “getting ready” was basically just chilling for a little bit before leaving again. ”Alright, well I'm leaving again I guess. I'll see you guys at the party hopefully. _{I don't want to be there alone},” he added the last part in quietly, opening the door and stepping through.”Ok, well. I'm off I suppose.” He didn't actually know whether his roommates were there or not, he didn't really check, though he hoped they were there, it'd be kind of sad if it were just him.

---

---

---

Nick rolled over lethargically, Why Did His Head Hurt So Much? The cover he was under felt really nice, and he vaguely wondered if he could stay like this forever. His body was definitely protesting any movement right now, and the comforter felt comfortingly heavy over his body, which was feeling more like a corpse at this point. Now that he thought about it, this mattress felt way too expensive to be his. He froze in place, realizing just how wrong things were. Thick comforter, annoyingly white and spotless, and a scent of- was that citrus? He opened his eyes slowly, knowing exactly what he was going to see, yet still hoping maybe he was wrong. Yep, definitely another human being sleeping next to him. She looked so peaceful sleeping, nothing like the person she had been yesterday. Oh, shit, yesterday.

God, even thinking was really hurting Nick's head. It felt like his whole body had a severe case of dry mouth, and his head felt like someone was driving nails into his skull. You definitely deserve this, a bitter voice muttered in the back of his head. This is what you get for not listening to your better judgement, asshat. Yep, and there it was, the self-loathing, right on schedule.

---

---

The bar was busy, and Nick wouldn't have been able to get a break, even if he needed one. Lucky enough, he didn't need one, nor did he really want one. He was content with the constant give and take of tasks at hand. Pass over a drink. Take a card. Tuck tips into his apron. The only complaint he had was that it really was getting hot in here. All these people partying. It didn't seem like the fact that it was only a Wednesday in the late after noon deterred people from packing in like sardines as the night wore on. The heat from all the bodies in a space that wouldn't feel so small if it weren't so crowded was starting to make Nick a little warm, and his uniform definitely wasn't helping. He was wearing what he usually dead, white button up collared shirt under a dark grey button up vest. His tie was tucked between his shirt and vest, and he was wearing a waist apron over his black slacks. He shoved his sleeves up his arms, contemplating if it would be too unprofessional to take his vest off. He poured himself a cold glass of water and drank it quickly. There were drinks to be made.

It looked like the next one on his list was a mango mai tai, extra heavy on the alcohol. He grabbed mango rum, oj, and pineapple juice, among other ingredients. He shook it up, poured it over a tall glass of ice, and stuck a pineapple and maraschino cherry skewer in one side. He turned around, scanning the bar, trying to remember who this order had come from.

Her eyes lit up expectantly when she saw him, and he was grateful that he didn't have to remember who ordered. The bar was stuffed to the gills. He'd seen her come in, a predatory look in her eyes, as if she'd come here for a purpose. She leaned over the counter in a way she must have thought was seductive, hoop earrings swinging wildly. In an afterthought it occurred to Nick that it was more of a slump than a lean. She must've had a couple drinks as a pregame. He didn't have much time to roll this over in his mind too much, though, since long acrylic nails burrowed into his forearm. Nick's wince was visible only in the brief furrow of his brow, but never did an uncomfortable feeling occur to him. He knew how to handle this, drunk people was part of the whole job. He would admit, though, stiletto style manicures did not feel great in flesh. He used the drink in his hand as an excuse to pry her nails out of his arm, putting the fruity cocktail in the offending hand. A fitting replacement, he figured. He turned to make another drink, but the lady in front of him scowled.

"Everything alright Miss?"

The lady simpered exaggeratedly. "It's been a bit of a strikeout night for me." She sighed, the fake smile dropping off of her face. "My first date ordered dinner and drinks, excused himself to the bathroom, and left me with the check."

The story sounded rehearsed, but Nick wasn't getting paid to bust customer's excuses for drinking. "Why, I'm sorry to hear that Miss. Hopefully you have a better time here. Your first drink is on me." He tried his best to sound sympathetic, the corners of his mouth perking up ever so slightly. She giggled at him, and Nick figured it was just the alcohol speaking. She kept ordering drinks, mostly fruit cocktails, and around sunset Nick told her he wouldn't be able to serve her drinks anymore. The last thing he wanted was to underestimate how much she'd had beforehand, and help her drink herself to alcohol poisoning.

She stayed, even though she agreed she wouldn't order anymore drinks. She alternated between the dance floor, the bar, and going for fresh air outside. Nick would refill her glass of water and bring her more bar snacks when she returned. It really did seem that she'd been having a rough night, for whatever reason. Closing time rolled around, and as he was wiping down the bar, he noticed the customer had yet to leave. She looked like she'd sobered up more, her eyes no longer as glazed as they had been before.

"Do you have a ride Miss..?"

"Jenna." She filled in the blank for him. "Unfortunately, my best friend isn't picking up." Nick noticed her words weren't slurred. Nick wasn't surprised, seeing as it was getting into the late hours of night. "I can just drive myself home."

"I mean, I could give you a ride, if you need one." Nick felt like letting her drive herself home was terrible idea. While she seemed only just past tipsy after all the water and hours that had passed, Nick wasn't going to chance anything. What kind of bartender would he be if he let his customers leave like this?

Her eyes lit up in a adorable way that betrayed her true nature, scribbling an address on a napkin. She stood up with surprising stability, but he put his arm around her shoulders He held open the passenger seat and winced a little when she flopped bonelessly inside his car. He buckled her in, leaning the seat back a little. She closed her eyes and smiled appreciatively. Nick went to his side of the car and punched the address into his phone. Halfway into the ride, she perked up, leaning her chair forward and talking to Nick until they got to her apartment. Nick got out and opened her door, helping her out. He turned to get back into his car, but she stopped him gently, asking him to walk her upstairs. Nick knew he should say no, but he followed her anyways.

---

---

Ok, two steps forward, one step back, not one step forward, two steps back.

It had been nearly half a day since he'd woken up, and yet Nick still fell crappy about the whole event. He'd showered vigorously, scrubbing off all the dirt but not the regretful feeling. That was definitely sticking with him through the day. Well deserved that voice sniped in the back of his head, again.

He'd gone to the animal shelter, hoping doing something worthwhile would not only clear his conscience but maybe also realign his karma. He wasn't very superstitious, but he'd take what he could get. This past week, he'd been in a sort of slump, and he was hoping he could kick himself out of it.

So far, it seemed like his best chance was this party tonight. He'd signed up for it absentmindedly, at the time figuring it would be a good way to meet the people in his apartment. So far, he hadn't gone out of his way to really meet people, and he thought it was about time he get out a bit. Now, though, while he was nursing a hangover and a very heavy feeling of disappointment, he wasn't sure it was a good idea to go.

The only reason he was even getting ready for the party was due to the fact that he'd offered to help with the barbecue. And maybe a little bit because he liked the idea of getting to cook for other minus the awkward having to know each other part. He figured he'd owed it to Bert, since he'd been late with rent and payments up until he'd gotten hired at the Pink Barrel. Bert hadn't given him too hard a time, and for the first time in a while, Nick felt like he was catching a break.

Nick was definitely into layers, especially at this time of year. He was always cold if the temperature was under seventy degrees, and the party was outside in February. He grabbed a jean jacket and layered it over a solid black hoodie, grabbing black jeans and mid-calf boots. It was comfortable, but didn't look like he'd just rolled out of bed. He definitely felt like it though. He ran his fingers through his hair a couple of times to get it to lie flat before leaving his apartment.

He went to the roof to find Bert, and caught him in the middle of a conversation with what he assumed to be another tenant. "Hey, Bert. I'm here to help with the barbecue, or anything else you need done."

Roxy had spent most of last night hauling all of her belongings up to her apartment, stacking the boxes in a corner and hating every minute of it. "Fuck... Stairs..." she'd panted on the third trip. She was SO out of shape. By the time she'd gotten her mattress into her room, she was so tired that she didn't even bother with a shower or putting sheets on. With the mattress flat on the floor, she'd practically face-planted onto her bed, clothes and all, and fell asleep within what felt like seconds.

It was rare for Roxy to sleep until after the sun is up, but this morning, if it was still morning, she’d slept until she could see light through her eyelids. She could already feel the rats nest forming in her hip length red hair. Groaning, she pulls strands of hair from her face while she stretched and opening her eyes. Remembering the events of last night she sighs heavily “Rieght. It’s apartment lyfe fer me naow.” Her accent was thick, though it’d been years since she’d been in Ireland last. “Weell, aye s’pose aye’d better git uup.” With more groaning and noticing of sore muscles, she wabled up from the floor and drug her mismatch socked feet out of her room, hoping she’d make it to the bathroom in time, but she wasn't expecting to see an untouched plate of food sitting on the table. Glancing at the clock on the wall she swore “Ach! Whoat? Shite. Greeat start te all thess ‘roommate buseness’”. It was already past 11 AM! She mumbled about missing breakfast as she scampered the rest of the way to the bathroom and practically slammed the door shut in her hurry to get to the toilet.

Trudging back into the living area and trying to run her fingers through the massive mess she calls hair, she noticed that her new roommate was seated on the couch and had just seen the whole struggle she’d just had. “Ooh. Ehm.. Gi’marnen.” She could feel her embarrassment coloring her cheeks. “Soory I missed yer cooken’. Aye guess ah was moore tired than usual.” Jabbing toward the plate with her thumb, she said “Ah’ll jus waarm this uup. Thanks vera much!”. She smiled and ducked her head away, setting to warming the food.

Cries of frustration spilled from apartment 3D into silence. Their source was a lanky woman tucked within the rooms, one foot planted on a window sill and the other on a nightstand that had been dragged near. She was crouched before the glass with her fingers wiggled beneath the wooden frame, heaving upward as if her life was entirely dependent on the fresh air she would be rewarded upon the window opening. Her frame was drowning under a pair of men’s branded overalls, bare toes peeking from beneath their folded hem. Long locks of blonde had been haphazardly tugged into a matching pair of buns, flyaway hairs fighting their way from beneath a bandana. Claire had seen a woman in a hardware store magazine wearing a nearly identical outfit and figured it would be the ideal choice for her day of rearranging her new furniture. They did not disclose that her body would essentially convert the pants into a greenhouse. She had taken a long moment to sympathize with the women and men who visited her parent’s home to work outdoors midsummer, all dressed in dark polo shirts that stayed tucked neatly into long pants. At last, the pane jolted upward and the young woman quickly leapt down from her perch, dropping onto her bed to spread her limbs outward in a full embrace of the February chill.

Claire had already made significant improvements to the space, with no wall left blank and greenery adorning all open areas that the sun touched. The best that the indie rock genre had to offer was spilling from the stereo that she had tucked into a corner designated for all things music, including her own keyboard and guitar. Days before, she had spotted a baby grand piano hidden within an antique store that was selling it for only a fraction of what she knew it to be worth, but the daunting task of getting it up three floors to the apartment was enough to convince her to begrudgingly leave it where it rest. Numerous boxes containing miscellaneous pieces of decor and furniture still sat propped against the walls, all sharing one thing in common. To Claire’s shock, each apparently required a screwdriver to construct. Something truly unheard of.

The young woman, whose eyes had settled on the window with a glare that dared it to make a move against her once more, suddenly rose upward back onto her feet at the change of the song. Her expression lightened into a broad smile as she slid out into the kitchen, shamelessly carrying herself to the upbeat rhythm that filled the space. Despite her ability to keep a beat, the girl’s movements were nothing to write home about. She swayed and rocked her weight between each foot, snapping her fingers along. But, really, that was all she had. Almost habitually, she continued to the coffee maker sitting atop the counter. She chimed along with the lyrics, snagging her mug from the table and tugging the pot from where it was tucked in the brewer. Claire verbalized defeat with a soft groan, however, as she held the empty container up to eye level. The inside of her brows turned upward as if willing it to fill with something containing caffeine, refusing to accept that she had already consumed the last batch that morning. She heaved a sign as she accepted defeat, placing the useless pot in the sink.

“Rowan, you here?!” She hollered, absentmindedly looking over the papers stuck to the front of the fridge. Her fingers trailed one in particular, tugging it down after realizing the date. “Aw, I forgot about this! We have to go! I think it’d be kinda cool to meet everyo-” A sudden wave of revelation crossed Claire's face, her mouth falling agape just slightly. _{“Oh no... I’m so sorry,”} she began in a whisper, _{“you're probably meditating and I’m an absolute jerk.} I’ll just slide this under here, okay?” She had moved to kneel beside Rowan’s closed door and was attempting to pass the flyer beneath it, mug still in hand. As the paper began to crumple against the door frame, she cringed, leaving it just outside the door with a gentle, finishing pat.

“Imma just go get some coffee, okay?” Claire turned to rush out of the apartment with her music still blaring, window still open, feet still bare, and still having received no answer from behind the door.

---

Claire pushed through onto the rooftop, eyes scanning the crowd for one face in particular as goosebumps immediately formed on her bare arms. She muttered something to herself about a window as she swiftly moved towards who she needed, though she was careful not to interrupt any conversations currently being held with the landlord.“Oh, Bert. Buddy ol’ pal. My faithful dealer of all things caffeinated. My main man, Bert,” She began as soon as there was an opportunity, addressing the man she had interacted with perhaps a total of three times since her arrival to Silvervale.“It seems I have not gone shopping in a few days and I’ve put myself in a predicament... So, how much money and/or physical labor would it require for me to perhaps obtain a cup of Joe?” Before the man could respond, Claire lifted her empty mug, curled her lower lip downward, and overemphasized the batting of her lashes. She probably wasn't going to mention that she had just scoured the entire apartment building for the man.

Chris chuckled gently. "No apologies needed, Ma'am- Miss Stark." He turned back to the bacon on the skillet, flipping the other side over and grimacing as another flurry of pops were aimed at his direction. "You didn't miss much." Chris hissed lightly as boiling grease droplets pelted his forearms. Eventually, the bacon was finished as the man turned the stove off and set aside the skillet; scooping up the bacon with the spatula and placing it on two sheets of paper towels. As for the grease, he poured that into a ceramic bowl and set it aside on the counter, letting it cool off. Chris leaned back against the countertop, smiling at Roxy gently. "I apologize I was out and couldn't assist you moving in. I got called in for a local accident and got home some time after you'd finished moving in. Do you need any help with furniture later today?" Chris asked, before seating himself at the table and prepping his utensils. All things considered, he didn't expect her to be... Irish. Or was she Scottish? With a brogue that heavy, he had to admit he couldn't quite pin it down to region.

---

---

It was already 5am and for Rowan that was late he was normally up by 4. However after the night he had last night and getting the unanimous message from his totems all telling him he didnt need to be up at the crack of dawn . He decided to sleep in. The thought was funny to him. Shit most people would call him crazy for being up this early and even more JUST getting to sleep. Nevertheless it was his thing, and with that Rowan stood strerching and greeting the sun as his partner in crime. He gathered his totems and placed a wrap around his lower half as he headed out and began breakfast.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen" he began starting his morning conversation with the plants that Ellie bought into the apartment. It was nice and even though she needed caffiene like something of an addict she was pretty chill she respected his space and he hers. The fact that she was something of, in Rowans eyes at least a little bit hippie. Was pretty chill she bought all these babies into the apartment. Row was always happy to see them and made sure they got their breakfast when he got his. He had given them all names and from left to right there was Nancy, she was a gorgeous lil chinese evergreen. Petunia, she was a Saucy lil peace lily. Greg, the fiddle leaf fig he was pretty lax. Suicune, the pothos of the five he was among rowans favorite and his spirit companions liked him as well. He was great for air purification and clean air also helped bring in positive energies. This was good cause it meant Rowan didnt have to cleanse as often but he still did anyway. Last but not least was Rowans baby the cream of the crop and his namesake Lil-R, the ficus Bonsai. With clean air came clean energy with clean energy came happy companions and this aided in keeping Rowan in the chill mood he was always in. While not of the plants needed water everyday he would spritz and wipe the leaves and carry on a conversation before he headed out for his morning walk and today was no different.

"Now that you guys are all fed and cleaned its my turn and i think ill have me a lil omlette with all the fixings." Row said cooking it up whiping in the kitchen a lil bit. He did his best not to wake El but he and the crew of green and the four unseen needed some tunes, "Alexa play Maxwell and volume down 3" he said as Gods by Maxwell was the first to start of the morning playlist. And as he cooked he couldnt help but groove to the chill soulful sound that enveloped the kitchen.

It didnt take long for his omlette to finish and for him to clean up after himself knock it off his breakfast. Knowing he was about to take a walk he grabbed his spirit board pendulum and some clothes as he headed out locking the door behind him.

The morning was gorgeous and the street vendors were already setting up shop and getting ready for the weeks festivities. The breeze was nice on Row and as he walked he found a nice patch of grass a little further down from the vendors and the air smelled divine. Rowan took a seat against one of the trees and just soaked up the air. He turned so that none could see straight away what he was doing. He laid out his spirit board that was a gif from his parents that they had custom made for him on his 16th birthday. And a pendulum that was comprised of his four totems the crow at the bottom and her beak forming the tip. “So what have you guys got for me today” He asked holding the tip over the center of the board. After focusing a moment it began to spin in a small circle. “Ready for question” He asked, as the pendulum had begun to sway diagonal up and diagonal down. This was the pendulums response as it was saying, yes. “Are there any messages for me currently” He asked continuing to focus. Again the pendulum would respond yes. This next part was always tricky for Rowan cause unlike the movies when things are spelled out super fast. This took time concentration and a lot of energy. He sat there for the next twenty or so minutes and waited for his pendant to react over each letter until it spelled out. “ BE CAREFUL DURING THE NIGHT KEEP YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN” afterwards rowan raised an eyebrow and wanted to find out more so he would have to cut this relaxation a bit short and headed back to the home. Once there he locked himself in his room as he had begun to meditate on the message.

He heard his name being called after a bit and it was El but she quickly apologized for near disturbing his meditation and he heard the flyer trying to be pushed under the door. Row chuckled a bit and made it a point to go out later to get Her some of her addiction. His meditations didnt last much longer as he couldnt gather much more aside from the erie message he received from the spirits. Well that and the although ok music it was a bit harder to pull himself into the necessary trancelike meditative state.

He stood stretching and soon after checking his bank account for funds. It was a decent sized amount in there and after grabbing his Old spice:Swagger a towel and washcloth he headed over to the bathroom to officially get ready for the day.

“Roxy, is feine. An’ et’s awright, I didna’ have verra moch te bring uup. Ah was jus’ gonna goo ta the shops later thus week an’ see whoat they ‘ave tha’ Ah need.” Roxy pulled a chair up to the table and sat with one leg curled up under her and the other slightly extended toward the back leg of the chair. She felt like she hadn’t eaten in days, when, in fact, she was pretty much never without food of some sort. The whole reason she even carried a purse was to have somewhere to put her snacks. She dug in, likely looking something like a starved dog as she shoveled too much food into her mouth and dropping down her front. With a mouth still full she looked around the apartment and took it all in. Well, what little there was to take in. Trying hard to find something to say she settled on “Yer no much fer decoratin’ are ye?” and almost immediately regretted it. It had sounded less like an accusation in her head.

She let out a groan and nearly dropped her head to the table, completely embarrassed by her own words. “Aacchhh, soory, Ah dinnae mean ta be ruud. Ah jus’... Ah’m no verra good with.. People. An Ah know tha’s odd fur someone en Nursen’ school, bu’ Ah’m workin’ on-” Roxy stopped short, realizing that she was beginning to ramble and looked back down at her plate, pushing the food around and refusing to make eye contact as she finished eating.

Placing her dish in the sink, she said “Ah should probla’ get a shoower nao. Thanks agaain fer the foud.” Roxy hurried back to her room to rummage through her boxes to find a towel and some fresh clothes. She found a plain, dark grey, baggy over-the-shoulder t-shirt and some navy blue constellation leggings, snagged the bag with the meager makeup that she owned, and then continued searching for a towel. After searching through all of the boxes, some more than once, she’d managed to find a single towel which meant that she’d have to struggle through not having one for her hair. “Et’s gooina’ be daes b’fore thus mess dries oot.” She complained about her hair a lot, but she loved it. It was something that she took pride in.

Now showered and dressed, she decided that it was time to start putting her things away, so she pulled up pandora once more on her Echo, hoping that it wasn't too loud and got to work, completely spacing out and losing all track of time.

Chris's expression went from contentment, to confusion, and finally to light concern. The young woman before him, Roxy, was either overly stressed or overwhelmed- or both. Before he could reply, she was out of the kitchen and hitting the shower. The man looked down to his food and paused in contemplation before finally digging in. When he was finished, he got up and proceeded to wash both plates in the kitchen sink. 'Huh...I suppose this place could use a little more communal decoration,' Chris thought to himself. Indeed, the only place in the house that was decorated was his room; resembling more like a military officer's quarters than a simple apartment bedroom. Perhaps he'd go out and shop for some furniture when he had the time- he'd already done it with Pepper once for her apartment room, and that ended up in him getting lost for two hours when his phone died. Sighing with a slight laugh, he shook his head, turned off the faucet and exited the kitchen as he began to visually measure up the apartment's living-room dimensions. The biggest concern, however, was to appease his newfound roommate without turning the apartment into a goddamn barracks. After some thought, Chris went into his room, put on his shoes and took a PostIt and pen from his nightstand drawer, scribbling something on the sheet of yellow sticky paper. Chris walked over to the front door and placed the note on the front of it before opening it and exiting the apartment. Now, he was on a mission.

---

---

With her reading glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose, her mouth hanging slightly open and her hand holding the pen inches away from the paper, hovering like stopped in time, Amberle stared at the screen of her MacBook. To anyone in the shop looking her way, it would seem as if the brunette was completely engrossed in some kind of action movie. However, the truth was far less exciting. The point of Amberle's pen touched the paper as she delicately but quickly jotted down notes about the seminar she was watching online.

Families, children but mostly women three times Amberle's own age were walking around the shop. They'd pick up a fruit, inspect it up close and then make the decision about whether to put it back or put it in their brown paper bag to be bought. Her aunt, Marie, was hovering around giving random fruit facts no one really needs or wants, but nonetheless, she brings it with a smile and a thick Dutch accent. It's adorable. Amberle usually helps out in the morning, setting out the fruit as the marketplace opens in the morning. The hustle and bustle before the customers come in is Amberle's favorite time of the day. The fish salesman, Mark, is always so passionately inspecting his seafood. Loretta, who owns a blanket store, I kid you not, is always carefully folding the blankets and tugging on the sides to make them presentable. Or well, more presentable than they already were. Then there's aunt Marie, she's placing the boxes full of fruit and goes through every box and crate to make sure the fruit looks attractive and that there are no rotten ones. She takes out the older fruit, cuts it up and makes little taste plates. If ever Amberle was to suggest a different arrangement, Aunt Marie would go on and on about how she has 'seen Sarah already!', which is a saying in Dutch meaning she's over 50. And thus knows better.

Amberle admired her aunt. She barely knew English when they moved out here. Her husband, who did know English, got a job in this town that he just couldn't pass up. Aunt Marie had to close her shop in the Netherlands but followed her husband willingly. He died a couple of years ago, but Marie had grown attached to Silvervale and decided to stay, open up a shop again. Her English has gotten better, but she still has quite a heavy accent. Amberle herself has an accent too, but it's much less.

"Oh dear! I just spoke to your aunt Marie! She says you're an IT student, that's marvelous!" The high pitches noises made Amberle look up from her screen towards an older woman who was standing in front of her with a big smile on her face, her phone in one hand and a paper bag in the other. Assuming that the woman is here to pay, the young student clicked the spacebar to pause the video and removes the earbud from her ear. She smiled widely, as she normally does, and stands up. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," she says as she reaches for the bag the woman is holding towards her. "Did you find everything you needed, ma'am?"

"Yes, yes, I did." The woman says as she puts the bag into Amberle's hands. She smiled down at Amberle. There were some lipstick stains on her teeth. "I was saying that your aunt Marie told me you are an IT student. You must be very smart!" she mused as Amberle input every item the woman intended to buy into the iPad, and it gave her a total sum. "I'm sure you can help me with my problem, see, my phone has been acting up lately and I--"

Amberle smiled, finished the purchase with the woman and then helped her with the troubles with her phone. This was not the first time today and it won't be the last time. Amberle found it endearing that Aunt Marie liked to brag about her to all her friends and customers, but sometimes it made her feel a little bit embarrassed.

After the busy morning became a slower noon, Amberle packed up her laptop and books, swung her leather backpack over her shoulder and said goodbye to Aunt Marie. As she stepped into the pathway, Aunt Marie yelled after her: "Give them from cotton!"

Amberle rolled her eyes and chuckled, yet another Dutch proverb that aunt Marie casually translates to English and thinks it'll still work out. The brunette knew what she means though, kick butt!

Outside, Amberle got on her bike and made her way back to the apartment.

---

---

Amberle sat on the floor in her black yoga pants, legs spread, panting, a droplet of sweat dripping from her forehead as she was attempting one of the most difficult things known to man: assembling an IKEA closet. Even though she officially moved in two weeks ago, she had not spent a lot of time here because of her lack of furniture. A week ago, she got her bed and started sleeping in her room. Her desk came 4 days ago and today her closet came in. The bed and desk were easy to assemble, but this closet is a whole new level of IKEA skill. See, Amberle is bad at letting things or chores go. After a shower to get ready to go to the get-together on the roof, Amberle looked at her suitcase full of clothes with a displeased look. All of her clothes were wrinkled, not in order and an overall mess. Surely she couldn't go in any of those outfits!

Her next step was ironing every piece of clothing she has, which had taken her the better part of the afternoon, several playlists and all her dance moves.

Once done, she had placed all the ironed, neat and nice smelling clothes on her bed, so they wouldn't get wrinkled. With a sigh of relief, Amberle finally felt ready to pick an outfit. Que Sarang, her cat. Amberle only looked at her phone for a minute when Sarang took place on top of her warm, ironed clothes with a satisfied look. Amberle sighed, "Sarang.. Moet dat nou? _{(Do you have to?)}"

So that's how Amberle wound up on the floor in her black yoga pants and a plain white tee, trying to align a plank in the closet. The fact that this was hard to do certainly had nothingto do with the fact that she was at least two heads shorter than the closet. She looked at the clock hanging above her desk and saw that it was almost time for the BBQ. She got a slightly nervous feeling in her stomach. She loves socializing and being around people all day, but she only knew her roommate. Since she always leaves so early, for the shop, and comes back in the afternoon's, Amberle didn't really run into other people. She did, however, one time bump into a guy with a big cello case, but they didn't introduce.

And now, in groups, especially outside often proved harder for her because of her hearing to meet people. In English, it proved to be even a bit harder.

The petite Dutch sighed and crossed her arms. She made eye contact with her cat, who was sitting looking at her curiously from the kitchen through her open door. Maybe she should leave the closet for what it is for now and get ready.

Interactions- @Disturbedspec [@Howling Zinogre]

Without a dresser or clothes hangers, all that Roxy could put together at the moment was her bed frame, but it was something, and progress IS progress! With clean sheets on her bed, it felt a little better in here. She wondered silently if she would be allowed to paint her room. She would have to ask. *But fer nao, Ah’ll jus' goo shoppen’ ta’morrow fer me oother fuurniture. An' some plaants. An' any'thin' else Ah find.* she thought as she brushed off the nonexistent dust from her thighs and decided to see if there were any snacks. It had been FAR too long since she’d last had a good snack and her snack-ometer was running on empty, which was completely unacceptable in her book.

She meandered from her room to the living room and took in more of the apartment. It wasn’t much. The walls were completely blank save for a tv and a futon folded into a couch. It looked as if there had once been carpet, but had long since been pulled up and replaced with a generic grey linoleum. The landlord was probably tired of cleaning up messes in carpet from former tenants. But it wasn’t exactly terribly appealing to Roxy so she made a mental note to take a look at some rugs while she was out. Not to mention some new living room furniture. Maybe some art. If the walls had to remain white, at least she could put something up to break up the monotony. She wondered if Chris would mind some plants. Of course she’d bring him along or take pictures to show and ask him about. After all, the space was for both of them.

When she turned to make her way to the kitchen, she noticed a note on the door. “Roxy, went te shop fer fur- NOO! Noo! WE’RE SUUPOSED TE DO ET TA’GETHER! Ye donkey muppet! Fer fook’s sake!” Quickly she put the number left on the note into the recipient line and typed out a quick message politely letting Chris know that she’d enjoy shopping for home decor together. She hoped he’d understand. She wasn’t terribly picky about things, but she did have opinions and would like to be included when it comes to decisions including her.

In the meantime, she’d pilfer the kitchen for snacks. She could really go for some funions right now. And some chocolate. It was really a wonder that she hadn’t gained weight since high school with as much as she ate. It wasn’t like she was super active or anything, she just seemed to burn it all naturally, much to the indignation of her mother. Unfortunately, she didn’t come across any funions or chocolate. She hadn't given up until she searched every nook and cranny, but still found nothing that she was in the mood for. She sighed and checked the fridge for something to drink and thankfully found a few cans of mountain dew. Leaning back and popping the tab open, she let the fridge door shut on its own and took a deep swig of the fizzy, tangy soda, noticing for the first time that there was a note on the refrigerator door as well. This one, though, was about some form of party. It looked to be for tonight, on the roof. She checked her watch. And soon. It wasn’t like she had anything better to do, and she was going to have to meet people at some point. And they said food… There may even be snacks. Looked like Roxy was going. She may be shy, but there wasn't much she wouldn't do for food.

If, that is, she didn’t get lost trying to figure out how to get there. She threw her shoes on and, pulled her hair into a messy bun on top of her head and began exploring the hall, hoping to figure out where it was. It wasn’t uncommon for her to get lost in places that no one else would. First things first, though. She needed to use the bathroom, so she headed down toward the second floor, hoping that no one was in there. As luck would have it, as she approached, the bathroom door swung open.

Chris was three steps from the apartment's central lobby when he paused and took in the muffled sounds of Irish Hellfire coming from the room he just left. Sighing, he decided to take a seat in one of the lobby chairs and picked a book off the coffee table. 'The Long Journey Home', it read. Musing an idle noise in his throat, Chris opened up the book and began reading as he waited for Roxy's arrival. No sooner than he started reading the book did his phone go off. Raising a brow, he took his phone out of his pocket and instantly recognized who it'd be from. "I'm....at...the...lobby. My... bad." He read allowed quietly while typing into the phone. He saved her number into his Contact List, then pocketed his phone and sighed as he contemplated heading upstairs or sticking downstairs to read this book a bit further. Clearing his throat, he looked around before taking the book, standing upright, and holding it to his left side as he made his way quickly up the lobby stairs and back to the apartment room.

---

---

The water was hot and the shower amazing. The bathroom was empty and this was awesome because it meant that Row didn't have to be quiet and could blast his music. Not many would guess from first glance that Row was a true eclectic. There was no genre of music he didn't keep on his phone. He sat it in a safe dry place and hit a playlist and just sang along. First song was a banger Fire in My Heart, “Okay okay” Row said as he readied himself to rip this song a new one. It took 4 min but he did it and surprised even himself. As row continued to shower song after song came on and with each one he did his best to belt it out. Rows playlist Rows shower didn’t last much longer as the playlist petered out. The entirety of the bathroom was nice and steamy. He took care of everything facewise and finally he headed out. Upon opening the door it swung back and Row caught it in moments as he heard a startled squeal.

“Oh boy my apologies” row said as he pulled the door back only to reveal a little redhead. “I promise i didnt mean to startle you.” He said flashing an apologetic smile. “My Name is Row, it’s nice to meet you...it probably would have been better if my first introduction wasn’t me trying to smash you with a door but hey as my mom always said, As you slide down the bannister of life my the splinters never go the opposite way. I think it meant something about meeting good people on your path or something she was irish half of the things she said never made any sense to me any who. Again my name is row welcome to the building.” He said as he legitimately rambled on.

"Alright guys, that was a good match, but I'm going to have to call it here."

Penelope Balvorn was just on the edge of closing off her stream for the night, with a good eight thousand viewer count; pretty good, but she had gone higher. It was a shame to have to close off, as she was enjoying herself, but she didn't want to miss the party, no matter how much her friends were willing to have some more games - after all, they had been doing well for the day, albeit with a few hiccups here and there from various flaws in technique and committing to foolish actions just for the fun of it. After all, that was what her stream was about - having fun and enjoying herself.

"Everyone else is staying, so I'm going to host Zye's stream and they can go play threes without me. We'll most likely be playing again tomorrow, or I might get started on Stormworks, since that finished downloading earlier. I'll see you guys next time!"

Penny gave a wave to the camera, before closing off the stream with just a few clicks, and then switching it to host Zye's stream. She sat for a few moments, letting herself melt into her chair now that she was off the air as she watched Zye's stream as he and other friends began setting up for another game. Sometimes she envied YouTubers, such as the ones that lived in the same very building as her, and the fact that they didn't have a live audience to cater for. At least they could stop and start a video they were recording whenever they needed, whereas a break for her left people hopping up and down waiting for her to get back. In a way, she felt special that she had that amount of people interested in her and her doings.

And to think that they liked her so much to donate to her. Penny kept Zye's stream up on one monitor whilst clicking her way through to her donation's page, to see how much had been given to her. A couple hundred in direct donations, and then an extra few hundred would get to her through subscriptions. Of course, Twitch would take their small cut, but she would still be getting plenty of money in. Despite this, she knew most of it was going to sit in her savings anyway - she didn't like spending too much money unless she was doing it for a purpose. Mindless spending was not her style, but she still bought a fair amount of candies and soft drinks whenever she was shopping.

Finally, Penny rose to her feet. It was time for her to head to the roof, to join the others. Leaving her headphones for her computer on her desk and retrieving her phone, Penny left her room. She took note of her roommate's absence and figured that he must already be there, or perhaps he was having his own party elsewhere - no, she figured it was the former. She doubted anyone would want to miss the party on the roof. Locking the apartment door behind her, Penny began to make her way up.

Once she had reached the party, the girl decided to just hang to the side, keeping clear of most people and just letting herself have a little room. For parties such as this, Penny preferred to just sit and watch, a little too nervous to interact with people lest more get involved.

---

---

The slight chill of the morning air nipped at the bare skin of her arms and legs as she stood on the balcony in a simple pair of boxers and tank, over looking the town as it slowly woke for the day ahead. A mug of sugary coffee in her hands was the only source of warmth for the brunette though she wouldn’t of minded being outside without it. The moisture from the fog made everything smell fresher and reminded her of mornings near the coast though lacking the gentle sound of waves from the ocean or the cry of gulls. It was relatively peaceful for now but soon people would be out in full swing to work on festival arrangements or headed to their last day of work which pulled a soft smile from her. She like the sense of community here and how everyone worked so hard together to make a full week of amazing activities that all ages could enjoy. Bert was even kicking of the festival a day early by posting a rooftop party on the bulletin board that was open for all tenant to attend. In truth, she felt a bit selfish living here which is why she had mostly withdrawn from most of the others since her arrival.

Charolette choose this place because it was different from her normal life style, a nice change of pace compared to the ritzy apartments or lofts she could have chosen. She wanted something new and with an out of the box place for her, it would mean that deranged woman had less of a chance at finding her....well, if Matt could hold off on letting it spill that is. She shook her head, placing her cup on the railing of the balcony, closing her eyes and pushing those thoughts out of her head. She should focus on the party, meeting new people and starting to get out of the bubble she had placed herself in. The closest people she had been connected to was her female roommate Pepper though she ended up being almost as quiet as she was, her male roommate Alfie who made her a bit nervous with his flirtation (mostly because she had no clue how to respond since she had no game what so ever) but still seemed like a nice guy for the most part and the other was Felix who she practically met day one when she arrived in Silvervale, the two of them becoming easy friends. Peps was so kind that she couldn’t imagine not having the other woman around even with the jump scares they gave each other. Alfie was easy going though she couldn’t completely figure him but she hoped that they could get along if she could let her guard down a little more around him. Normally, she would have made breakfast for Pepper, Alfie and herself but lack of sleep meant she had eaten earlier which in turn cause her roommates to be out of luck and on their own today. Char didn’t feel all too bad about it though seeing as how she wouldn’t probably be in the apartment much longer today due to an early appointment with a client. Well, early in the fact she had to leave sooner since it would take a two hour drive to meet at the agreed upon location.

The distant sound of music sweetly rang out and subconsciously, her fingers drummed along against the railing as if playing invisible piano keys. She knew that she should be getting ready for the day instead of listening but it was simply too perfect to resist. Char waited for the symphony to come to a close before opening her eyes once more, downing what was left of her coffee and heading inside, dropping the mug softly into the sink. She quietly slipped back into her room, moving to her closet and taking out the outfit she had planned out yesterday for tonights occasion, knowing that she would have limited time to change after leaving for the day so she decided why not kill two birds with one stone. Charlotte laid a short bright red dress out on the bed, admiring the simple tooling that seemed to lightly flow to her and the way the thin belt was decorated with a gold plate helped make the outfit pop a bit instead of the simplicity it normally had. She had wanted to add a little flair of her own and placed a black leather jacket next to the dress which would save her bare arms from the cold as well. A pair of black tights were tossed on the other side of the dress and a pair of black pumps with a thin ankle strap set on the floor. She dressed quickly, applying some eyeshadow and giving a quick curl to her hair before snagging her designs off the desk while throwing her bag over her shoulder, ready to start the day.

---

Charlotte tapped her fingers against the wood of the table, frustration building with each passing second. She clicked the side button on her phone, the light flashing to show the time which only served to piss her off more as the client she had gone out of the way to meet with was an hour and a half late with no calls or texts. She searched her contacts, pressing the call button on ‘Hannah’ and jamming the phone up to her ear, preparing herself for the conversation ahead. She hated dealing with this woman but the pay out was “hopefully” going to be worth the agony of wanting to rip her hair out.
“Hello, this is Hannah.”
”Hi Hannah, this is Charlotte Thorne. I am calling about our appointment? I was starting to worry that something happened to you when I had not received a call.”
“Oh, I won’t be coming. Today isn’t really a good day for me.”
Charlotte pulled the phone away from her face, looking at it like it with complete shock written on her features before she gripped it tighter. And you couldn’t have told me this before wasting my time? Or god forbid, before a two hour drive?, she thought before placing the phone back to her ear.”I see, I hope nothing serious happened.” she answered, trying to keep on the positive side and show some concern even with her negative thoughts as she shouldn’t fully assume.
“Oh no, nothing like that. I just didn’t want to make the drive and you can always send me the sketches digitally, right?”
Charlotte wanted nothing more then to chuck her phone cross the room and never hear from this woman again. She was so hot and cold that it boggled her mind. The woman had commissioned a wedding dress but every time she settled on a design, the next time she would want it completely different or would rant and rave like the bridezilla from hell about how she never said she wanted this or that. The last time, she commanded where and when they would meet and if it still wasn’t to her approval then Char would do it “right” while in her presence and now just email was fine? She was seriously pitying the groom and had to wonder what on earth he saw in this woman.
”Of course, anything you need. I will send you a scan as soon as possible.” she stated, trying to hold it together.
“Great. Later.” was the irritated response she received as the other line went dead.

Charlotte tossed her phone onto the table, running her fingers through hair hair and staring up at the ceiling in complete frustration. A waste of her morning and her afternoon but at least it didn’t have to be a total loss. She flagged down a waiter and decided to finally order, not needing to be polite and wait on another to join her. She was going to have something devilishly good and then she could stop by the store to pick up some supplies for the party doing the long trek back to the apartment. It should be about time for the party at that point or at least she could help in setting up a bit.

---

She grabbed the bottles of different colored wine and a few flavored rums before making her way back to 2A to drop off the other items in her possession. Charlotte made her way to the rooftop in no time, a few people already gathered as as placed the liquor she had with the others on the table, taking notice that they wouldn’t be running out any time soon. It was sure to be an interesting night and she couldn’t wait to see how it would play out. It looked like the food was already being handled and people were greeting each other. She might help set up the karaoke machine but for now, she was going to enjoy the view. She could be social later when the party was more in a full swing.

She leaned against the side of the building, watching the sky light with an array of color as the sun sank further down. It was a dazzling view and if she wasn’t at a party, she would be tempted to draw it or take pictures to capture the moment but the last thing she needed was breaking or losing her phone if she did get drunk. It also might sounds stupid but she would rather be caught being silly on someone else phone and not know about it then find it know her own by searching her phone. Either way, however this night turned out, she was looking forward to letting go a bit and having a nice time.

A squeaky noise involuntarily escaped Roxy’s lips as the door came at her, but thankfully the person on the other side of the door caught it in time that she avoided getting knocked flat on her ass. Before Roxy recovered completely, he began apologizing, saying something about a banister and splinters and- she gawked up at the man. “Irish? Ye’r Irish?” Her mouth hung open for a second too long for her comfort before she managed to snap it shut and knock some wits back into her brain. “Erm, Soory, Ah’m Roxy. I did’nae knoow ye were en there. Ah was aboot te try an find tha roof. Do ye knoo where Ah goo fur tha’? Ah git lost easily an Ah have noo idea where ta goo.” Her cheeks reddened and she looked down at her feet, not really sure what else to say.