There were booths everywhere, and past them were lines going into restaurants and shops.

A poster on the wall announced it was Sanctuary's 15th annual celebration, running from 2 PM until 10 PM, with fireworks and... What the hell was a 'night market'? Was that like a red light district? Was this why Uncle Oscar liked this place?

"Okay, they're all getting set up, I need directions....

There was a booth with policemen....

There hasn't been anything in the news, she frowned. They won't be looking for me, right? Certainly not like this, and certainly not here.

Brushing a few of the white hairs that had managed to work free from under the bandana aside and squaring her shoulders, Kat and her bicycle made their way through the crowd to the police booth.

"Excuse me," she smiled. "I'm new to town and I'm looking for a grocery store, could you please direct me?"

Reya chuckled as Chris quickly shot down Reya's suggestion and Phoenix played along and flirted a bit in response. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies as Phoenix winked, not even in Reya's direction. Although Reya had never physically acted on her bisexual curiosities, it didnt stop her from feeling some type of way in front of a beautiful woman. "You got it." She replied to Phoenix's order of coffee. Just as she began to pour a mug for the woman, Ben appeared from the kitchen and set down a plate of delicious breakfast infront of Chris. The man of few words nodded in greeting to the pilot and then disappeared back to the kitchen as quickly as he had appeared. "Thank you, Ben!" Reya called after him, sliding the mug of coffee over to Phoenix.

Hearing Jewel Navarro's name, Reya looked over at Chris' phone and nodded in agreement with what Phoenix was explaining. She had seen both Jewel and her father frequent the tavern for what seemed like business meetings. Not only that, but many of Mr. Navarro's clients would often take up a room in the tavern while they were in town. In general they had been fairly pleasant to deal with, albeit demanding at times. "Yep that's her." Reya confirmed, "Her father is a bit scary if you ask me.... but they sure do tip well!" She chuckled, always glad for the extra cash.

Reya quickly grabbed a couple to-go coffee cups along with a box for Chris' food if he felt like taking it with him. "You two go ahead without me, I'll see you there." She grabbed Phoenix's coffee and poured it into the to-go cup for her. "I need to wrap up here and go get in more appropriate clothes." She gestured towards her current outfit which was just standard black pants and matching button up; boring "work" attire in her opinion. "I have to try to keep up with Phoenix after all." She giggled and then offered the to-go boxes to Chris, wondering if he would take the opportunity to leave with the redheaded vixen.

---

Levi's blue eyes narrowed as he watched the blonde Russian man turn and leave the Cafe. He looked the man up and down, observing his outfit, the way he walked, and the way his demenour gave off the vibe that he thought himself far superior than the other townspeople of Sanctuary. "Seems ma was right." He thought, recalling the gossip that his mother had filled him in on when he arrived back in Sanctuary only two months ago. Gossip was one thing, but Levi had a gut feeling for people that he typically trusted - rarely did it let him down. Nonetheless, the tip received was great for Levi's employees, so at least there was that. Maybe the man wasn't all bad.

"Thank you so much, sir!!" Alice exclaimed, astonished by the large tip which equaled over eight times what he would have had to pay for the tea.

"Oh, look who it is!" Levi's face softened as the Russian man exited and a long haired man entered in his place. "The savior of Sanctuary himself." Levi chuckled, smiling as he leaned his hip against the register counter. Over the last two months Levi had come to recognize Archer as he had been to the cafe a few times, plus his mother filled him in on exactly who the doctor was. "It certainly is a beautiful day for a festival! What can we get for you today?" He asked, glancing over as Nathan began bringing out his specialty donuts and loading them into the deli display to the left of the register.



"An Oreo Boston Cream donut, perhaps? A maple bacon bar? Or maybe a S'mores donut is more your style?" Levi practically skipped over to the deli cooler, gesturing to his creations as Nathan placed them carefully into the display. "Now I know, I know... sugar isn't good for you and BLAH BLAH!" Levi waved his hand to the air as if to slap away such a blasphemous sentence. "You only live once, I say! Your taste buds will thank you. And it IS a festival after all." He grinned proudly, hoping the doctor wouldn't be too offended by the sugar monstrosities that Levi had slaved over for hours.

---

@Zora

Talie "Friendly local rock nerd"

Location
The Cozy Bear
Mood
Caffeine Zombie

...

Natasza woke up to the sound of the battered radio alarm playing, half asleep she turned to grab some water and bright sunlight shining on her face. She really needed the landlord to sort that curtain rail out. "...The weather looks good and Sanctuary is going to be busy today, rides, food, fun, all the good stuff. So we advise avoiding the…" Natasza just ignored the rest as she made way to the bathroom.

She was a newcomer to the town and the Sheriff had advised to go with the town's flow to fit in. People had lived here a long time and could be a little strange about new arrivals. The old guy who ran the USGS office before her had not helped in recent years by ill health for field duties and getting various reports late to city administration etc. So she was attending, maybe being the friendly rock nerd might make them a little less granite and abit more pourus to her.

Searching her brain, what she remembered while the shower warmed her up nicely. The Town was still nor fully known to her and the backlog of work had kept Talie busy, the cafe… that would be an OK place to try and get some idea what was going on. The Sheriff would be rather busy, there was some pilot she used to send some samples off last week, he had a mixed reputation for cargo apparently but they were rocks. It would be fine. Honestly she had not had too many chances to get to know many outside of a smaller circle. That would change today.

…

"Il grab some coffee on way ba." Remembering she no longer had a roommate now, it was nice but a little lonely too.

After careful deliberation with herself and the mirror in the end Natasza had chosen to go a little more conservative. Maybe it was best to see what the town was like before she rocked the boat too hard. Wearing a dress and not her slightly silly T shirt and so uniform on the weekdays. Finding her respectable white trainers that looked mostly clean throwing a slightly worn and rather faded vintage denim jacket on the passenger seat pile. Shorter hair made life so much easier, she did miss it long but got in the way so much.

They would get used to her tattoos. The older folk a little longer maybe but she would not hide them.

Climbing into and out of the truck would take a little finesse but doable, her work truck had picked up a knock, more than normal and was due to the local mechanic on Monday. Oh well. The two would have to get used to her more interesting truck.



…

Window down, singing along. German rock music playing at a mostly acceptable level to not give some retiree a heart attack and aviators on. This was life, free and able to decide one's own path. Much as she loved her family, she could not work at the mines all her life.

The town was busier than she had ever seen and it was just morning. Lacking caffeine gnawing at her brain Talie made the first turn she saw to a place that sold hot drinks. Avoiding a food truck heading into town it seemed to lead where she wanted to go as main street area was closed parking near a road block. Least she would never lose her Truck. She would bet her salary it was only one that was this pink in town or perhaps the County.

"Howdy Sheriff, il pay the permit on monday. Good luck and Rock on" her passing words were lost in a yawn she failed to stifle as she walked over to the Cozy bear. OK the joke was terrible but she was without caffeine.

Reaching the Cozy bear was surprisingly easy. Several people she did not recognise where about, the odd one she did like the staff, pretty sure the old man said that guy was a doc… of some kind, and other locals who were that evil kind of early risers. Aliens the lot of them. "Morning" before yawning slightly. It seemed in small towns you were meant to interact with other humans and not stare at your phone. She could do that. After she got Coffee. "Any pancake specials on today please?" Asking hopefully, Talie loved pancakes. Especially whatever magic diners etc used to make them so fluffy.

...

Mentions.
@QueenBea@Zora@The Muse

"I like the way you operate, doc." Levi smiled, watching as Alice began to put together Archer's drink order. Levi reached into the display and pulled out the donut of Archer's choice and hurriedly stepped into the kitchen to grab a fresh blueberry muffin that had come out of the oven recently. When he returned Alice was ringing up Archer's order into the register and giving him the drink. Levi handed over the muffin and donut, his friendly smile unwavering. "I'm Levi, by the way. Sorry I haven't been able to introduce myself, I've seen you around. I'm typically quarantined to the kitchen back there." He gestured towards the kitchen doors, "Alice here is a slave driver!" He joked, smirking a bit at his employee who just smiled and shook her head at her bosses antics. "Hope you enjoy the food and the festival, man."

With that, Levi left Alice to finish up the order with the doctor and turned his attention to the woman who had entered during his conversation with Archer. Immediately he was struck with how beautiful the woman was, his eyes watching her carefully as she took her time to examine the display of donuts. To his surprise he had never seen this woman before and did not remember his mother telling him about a new gorgeous brunette in town - he'd have to inquire with her on this matter later. The mystery of who this woman was rather exciting for the time being. "Good morning, beautiful." He called over top of the display to greet her, "What can I get for ya? Looking for a sweet treat? You name it, we got it. If we don't got it, I'll make it." He smiled playfully towards her before glancing away for a moment when he heard the cafe door open. Another unfamiliar face of a woman entered the scene! His mother was seriously slacking! Who were all these new beauties? As he waited for the first customer in front of him to answer her, he let Alice take the lead on greeting this new woman.

"Good Morning, miss! No spec-"

"We'll make a pancake as special as you like." Levi interjected with a joke, cutting off Alice before she was able to turn down the woman's request for specials on pancakes. He had no notion as to who this woman was, but he was in the giving mood this morning. They would make enough money for today to cover them for months, so a few discounts here and there wouldn't make a big dent in their profits. "Half off pancakes today, if you buy a donut." Levi grinned and gestured towards the deli display that the other brunette had been investigating.

Alice chuckled to herself, "I'm sorry - I guess we do have a special today! Would you like a donut?"

Levi's eyes moved back on the woman in front of him until he spotted two people through the window standing outside that stopped him in his tracks and forced him to do a double take. These people he did recognize immediately! Phoenix Jones and Chris MacDonald. He settled his gaze on them for a moment, watching as the two interacted with one another outside. Nixie looked as beautiful as he remembered, maybe even more so. The two had a history of their own when they were young, but it had been a very long time since the last time he saw her. Briefly, his mind wondered if Phoenix had settled down with Chris after all these years. He watched for any indication that the two were an item - a touch of the arm, a hug, a kiss? So far, nothing.

Feeling an unfamiliar knot of nervousness form in his stomach, Levi began to realize that he had been so wrapped up with the move into his new house and taking care of the cafe that he hadn't even let his old friends know that he was in town again; he was sure he'd regret that at some point. Levi wondered if Phoenix had heard through the grapevine that he was back in town or perhaps she didn't care and that's why she hadn't stopped by for a visit.

Chris, on the other hand, was only known to Levi through friends of friends and a few brief meetings with one another in passing when they were younger. They had always been too far apart in age to be in school at the same time, but Levi knew of him. He might've been even more popular with the ladies than Levi was when he was in school. It would make sense to Levi that Phoenix would settle down with him in the end. Forcefully peeling his eyes away from the window, Levi focused his attention back on the small brunette and tried to ignore anything that was happening outside.

---

Talie "Friendly local rock nerd"

Location
The Cozy Bear
Mood
Caffeine Zombie

...

Talie was friendly with the Sheriff especially since he had been one who helped her find where the local store was and such. Due to circumstances of her appointment here the old man she had replaced has been less helpful. He might even know the best place to get coffee. She might be a little addicted… The town was charming though and it was not hard to like it here. If she had been told about the cakes and such food at festivals she might have to do a lot more station checks on foot to stay in shape for the next few weeks.

Not that she minded. There were numerous sensors and stations to check they were operating correctly plus the history of mining meant that there were numerous mapped and unknown former mines that created some interesting things with the unique topography around Sanctuary.

Torn from her thoughts by the man in the coffee shop flirting with another woman who came up, she looked rather fancy and waited... yes. She was someone in town. She had seen her picture in the local paper. Something to do with the Mayor's office. Levi. Levi, he was called Levi. A taller male customer seemed to smile her way before leaving. Maybe Trace Adkins had it right about country boys... not that she would admit to enjoying country. Ever. That would remain her secret. A Doctor too? Hopefully she was not there too soon because of an embarrassing injury.

"Tha" Talie was suddenly addressed by the man who took over from the woman, she was not sure who was in charge now. Swipping her bag to side in suprise before gathering it back in reaching for her money. Shoving her goverment badge back in to its pocket. "Thankyou, you do not have to" much as not wanting to cause a fuss...yes but be polite. Seeing as he was making her favourite breakfast. "well seeing as your offering." commenting before her frame of thoughts was jarred off again. It was one of those mornings and had yet to have a coffee!

"Il have a strong Americano, Sugar please. Pancakes with syrup cream and choclate. Plus whatever the best doughnut here" Talie had no idea what range they sold having only grabbed coffee quickly passing through takeout out a few times here before too busy taking over the office or moving in. "I only got sent down here recently. First time I had free time" Admitting she was a newcomer so hopefully her lack of knowing the specials made sense.

Yawning slightly again. She really needed a pick me up sweet or coffee. The nicely dressed woman turned her morning om it's head again and offered to pay for her food. Brain rapidly trying to progress and switch to the situation. Not sure what she expected, this was a pleasant suprise. She probbly was someone important that nicely dressed and her words confirmed it, making enemies would not help her settle in, especially in the Mayor's offices. "Thankyou Miss, much appreciated. Natasza Stepanova, but everyone just calls me Talie as it's much easier, I took over the USGS office. Paper beats rock to know the town it seems." Joking badly she dropped her jacket to lap and keep her dress nice. Talie liked this dress too much.

Her tattoos would be visable but it was warm and nothing she had was offensive, the polish themed tattoo moving into a periodic table below the elbow. "I recommend anything filled with choclate." The woman was polite but hints of stress?, choclate would help that or least you had choclate. Your day was always better with sugar.

"If they taste as good as they look, il have to stop by more often." Talie replied honestly at the array of sweet treats. Her thoughts were again, again distracted by a noise behind her of a truck. A man stepping out of a jeep though the colour was a normal boring one. What was wrong with her truck thinking absently. "Anyone know when the rou…. Fer….fun…something. No cake event?. Fun cake? A Cashier spent minutes praising it yesterday." Talie could not help but have a blissful smile at the idea of any cake that could make someone talk for minutes about it. "You have best Coffee, Pancakes and doughnuts naturally im sure" Talie added Diplomaticly to not slight the cafe ego. Cake was not their rivals or they be involved in the cake event and a compliment.

...

Mentions

@Zora@The Muse@QueenBea@Pilatus

"Well, if it's on mister Wilshire, don't mind if I load up the whole store on his card." He joked, smirking as he grabbed a donut box from below the register counter and began to fill the box with a dozen donuts comprised of a variety of his favorite flavors, plus one extra donut for the generosity the woman provided to the other paying customer. "You the new assistant of his?" He recalled his mother telling him that the mayor was looking for someone to fill the position some time ago. "Lucky guy." He playfully winked at her as he handed her the donuts from over top of the display. "Alice will get you all squared away. Thanks for your business, miss. Hope to see you around again."

As the other woman introduced herself as Talie, Levi made a mental note of who she was and who she worked for. Listening to their conversation, he grabbed a classic chocolate-filled donut and brought it to her. "This'll hit the spot." He smiled, stepping back in order to let Alice through to give Talie her Americano. "Oh, Martha's funnel cake!" He looked out the window and down the street to see if the festival booths were beginning to go up yet, trying his best to pretend he did not see Phoenix and Chris and looked straight past them instead. "They'll have a booth set up, they always do. You've got to have it, it's a Sanctuary staple. The only pastry item in town that I admit defeat over." He chuckled a bit and looked back to Talie, "I'll be right back with your pancakes. Holler at Alice if ya need anythin'."

Leaving the front of the cafe, Levi returned to his natural habit - "back of the house" as it was called during his restaurant career in California. Turning on the stove and preparing the pancake batter, Levi's mind wandered back to his time on the west coast. This environment was certainly different and a lot less demanding, which was nice for a change, but he did feel a tad less motivated when the fire wasn't right beneath him. Strangely, he thought he might even miss the loud hustle of the high end restaurants he had worked at, but it certainly was nice being the head of his own kitchen this time. He could treat his employees with a lot more respect than the other head chefs had given him and other chefs who worked for them. It'd be different with him. Once the pancakes were finished, Levi plated them and drizzled chocolate syrup across the top in an artistic fashion. "Nate, please run this out for table 2." He handed off the plate to the young man and went over to the sink to wash his hands, his eyes noticing the clock on the wall hitting 9am. "I should head out soon." He thought, knowing he needed to take care of some things at his house, take a shower and change his clothes before heading out to the festival events. Luckily for him, his father had volunteered to run the cafe while he went out to enjoy himself.

---

Anastasia lightly tapped her pen to the beat as she listened music in her air pods, her steely-blue eyes staring down at a paper labeled JOB APPLICATION - SANCTUARY HOSPITAL across the top. It was fully filled out in her neat handwriting, except for the very first question. Her name. Ana had wrote out her first name, then stopped at the first letter of her last name - C. She had almost written her husbands last name - Castellano. Her stomach twisted when she did, however, and she wondered if that last name was still how she wanted to be known. At one time it filled her with pride. People in Chicago knew who she was based on that name and it provided protection and demanded respect. Now... it felt like a stain on her reputation - her entire life. No, she no longer wanted to be known as a Castellano. Putting pen to paper, Anastasia carefully spelled out her maiden name - Clarke. The last name she had once been so happy to get rid of would now be her salvation.

Sighing heavily, Ana set the pen down and reviewed her application. It pulled at her heart strings to read her maiden name on paper, but she knew this is what she wanted. "Well... there." She said out loud to herself, standing up from her kitchen table. She had only been in town for a week, but she was determined to assimilate herself in this little town and the first step was to find a job. Admittedly, it had been a couple years since she had worked full time. Her husband had provided so well that Ana did not need to work, she only did so to keep the boredom at bay and her skills up to par. She hoped that this little hospital wouldn't look too far into it and would accept her. Surely they weren't receiving many job applications on the daily? If she didn't hear back from the hospital soon she would swallow her pride and put in applications for other businesses around town too.

So far the people in town had been nice enough when she ventured out for groceries, but she had not gone out to explore much. In all honesty she had been too embarrassed to show her face anywhere. Showing up to a new town adorned with bruises and cuts wasn't exactly a good look. Makeup could only go so far to help her a week ago. Luckily for her most of the injuries were now healed up enough for her to feel comfortable going outside, aside from a gnarly bruise along the outside of her thigh where her husband had -

She closed her eyes, forcing the memory out of her brain. "No." She thought, grabbing up the application and placing it nicely into a manilla envelope. She grabbed her car keys from the kitchen counter, smoothed down her light blue dress and adjusted her long blonde locks across her shoulders. She was ready to turn in the application at the hospital and head over to the festival she had seen so many posters up around town about. It was time to see what this town had in store for her.