[IC] ~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

[The Muse]

“I’m so sorry, um… I wasn’t expecting to see someone here… I thought they were gone for good…I guess, not everyone here in Sanctuary is a good person… Some people just bring back bad memories…”

Ana furrowed her brows and frowned as the girl spoke. She knew a thing or two about people bringing up bad memories that you wished you could forget. Her blue eyed gaze shifted past the taller girl, eyeing the couple that had seemingly triggered something. Was it the man that brought the bad memories or the woman? Probably the man, if she had to guess. Always the men… Ana narrowed her eyes, glaring daggers in the man’s direction even though she did not even know his name. Giving this sweet girl such a reaction was well enough reason not to like him, at least to Ana.

As Lily introduced herself, Ana brought her attention back and softened her facial expression. "It’s so nice to meet you, Lily. There’s no need for apologies, I’m all ears!" She smiled and looked at the books gathered in her arms that Lily had gifted to her, which made sense now that she knew Lily was a librarian. Although, the giant bottle of alcohol was still puzzling. "I’m excited to read what you’ve picked out for me! I bet you know all the best reads."

“...Um… But yeah, I should… probably be anywhere but here. I might just go home… I’ve seen Zack, Em, and Kayleigh play before.”

Ana looked up again towards the couple, taking note of Lily’s distaste for a certain person named Kayleigh. So was it the woman of the couple then? Ana studied the two, trying to discern who the “bad guy” was. She watched their movements toward one another while Lily spoke about the band that was supposed to go on stage soon. Unfortunately there was not much to see, other than noticing that the man took a step away from the red-headed girl, which was not the type of body language you’d see in a couple who were madly in love. There were definitely missing puzzle pieces for Ana to fully understand the situation and why it had affected Lily in such a visceral way.

“...So you know, it’s okay if you want to go… I’ll go home, and then I’ll drink myself to sleep and pretend tonight didn’t happen.”

Ana shook her head and turned her gaze on Lily again, "No way! I can’t let you do that."

“Umm… Maybe I can help you take those books to your car first? Maybe we could… get a drink together too?”

"Yes! Absolutely." Ana didn’t hesitate with her answer and smiled brightly towards Lily. "I don’t much like crowds anyway. They give me anxiety!" She chuckled as she said it in a nonchalant sort of way, though she was telling the truth. Once upon a time Ana had been quite the extrovert and enjoyed being around others, but after the lifestyle she had with her ex… crowds just made her want to run the other direction.

"My car’s this way." Ana tilted her head in the direction opposite of where the couple stood, luckily. As they walked away from the crowd, Ana stopped at a trash can to toss out the contents of glass from the alcohol-soaked basket and tried to shake off what liquid she could. "Fireball, huh? Interesting choice." She laughed, examining the basket to make sure she had rid it of all the glass. "I’m definitely getting you a fireball shot later."

As they arrived to Ana’s car parked on the street, she opened up the SUV’s trunk and placed the basket down inside. Across the back window of the SUV read “SANCTUARY RENTALS” in big white stickered letters. "Still haven’t got a car yet, so I’m using a rental." She noted, closing the trunk and walking over to the passenger side, gently placing the books down on the seat. "That means I won’t mind if this whole thing smells like Fireball by the time I come back." She laughed, closing the door and locking the doors. "Alright. Let’s find a drink!"

Walking back towards where all the vendors were lined up, Ana’s eyes scanned the crowd. As they walked past the auction stage, which was now in the beginning stages of being taken down, Ana spotted her other new “friend” sitting at a table by himself. "Moxi!" She exclaimed, grinning. She glanced over to Lily, "Just a sec. That’s the guy who won the date with me. I wanna thank him."

Practically skipping, Ana made her way towards Moxi with Lily in tow. "Thanks for bidding on me, that was so nice!” She held her smile as she met eyes with him, wondering what his intention was by bidding on her at all. Just to be nice? Or more? She had to admit, it was nice to feel wanted again. Even if he was just being nice. "Although…" She scrunched her face and looked up towards the night sky, pretending like she was in deep thought for a brief moment. "I suppose it’s the least you could do after beating me in corn hole like that." She giggled and returned her gaze to him. "Care to buy two girls a drink too?" She gestured over to the auburn-haired girl beside her. "This is my friend Lily. We’re dying for a drink!" She pouted her bottom lip, looking at him now with puppy-dog eyes.

---

_{Interactions: Lily @Viciousmarrow & Moxi @Zora}

[PrinceAlexus]

Talie "Friendly local rock nerd"

Location
Concert
Mood
Happy, Cheeky and Flirty.

Talie was tipsy for sure. Not drunk but she was buzzed after the vodka and strong cocktails she had been drinking. Honestly she had not let loose in a while and wanted to live a little. Reya offered to buy food which made her evening better already as she did have that alcohol driven hunger beginning to form. "Noo. Just way too much sugar and caffeine for me." Talie laughed at the weed comment. Honestly she had not had the best experience with weed so she was not a fan.

"I'll see how the date goes before I plan anything!!" Talie cheerfully as Reya batted back her flirtatious playing. Her spicy Latino side wanted to have fun and female friends were something she hoped to have again. "I just have to rely on Teddy bears and Victoria Secret for company, much as cuddles and cuddles with benefits are much more satisfying. " Talie did not miss a beat and let her spicy side out. They seemed to not be offended and Talie would not pretend to be someone she was not. "Is it always the quiet ones though? A little rope play perhaps?" Talie mock seriously asked, OK maybe she let too much spicy out but she had been drinking and put an arm round Reya so they did not get separated in the crowd.

"thankyou!" Talie replied, soon joining them, waffles with cream, chocolate, maple syrup and for some odd reason and somehow managed to get marshmallows added as a topping. Though like Stella she did have water and was not getting flat-out drunk.

She did not want to end up having to use Reya so she could walk straight like Stella seemed to be doing. Somehow despite heels she was managing just fine. She was drinking better than walking here.

Even holding something, drinking in high heels and so she managed to not get any waffle on Reya as she gave her a short hug in thanks. Talie was feeling somewhat expressive tonight.

She had looked out to spot the Sheriff, Reya was wrong in wanting to use as a teddy bear but a dance would be lovely. Talie liked to dance and was pretty good at it. It was a part of her upbringing she was truly happy about. If she missed him they could arrange later and she could still enjoy the impromptu girls night with Stella and Reya.

Letting Reya lead the way. "Yes, find a spot, get comfey and Enjoy. Catch, I got some Motrin if you need it plus some other bits." Talie tossed her a bottle of water . Reya had stood back and probably needed one. Spicey was good but it was important to know when to look after people. She had dropped her flirty tone but kept the spicy glint to her eyes and made it clear she was feeling playful.

Talie intended to find a nice place to sit down and find a place to eat her delicious looking waffle treat. She had a bounce back and a cheerful energy tonight, it was very much Talie letting loose and was genuinely happy.

Mentions
@Zora@The Muse@LovelyComplex

[The Savant]

---

Moxi was sitting by one of the local vendors who were selling their goods at the festival and he was giving them a quick lesson in business. It bothered him when people were under-selling themselves and their products, especially handmade products. He saw it quite a lot with artists. For some reason that reminded him of that Serrano girl but that thought was shoved away, as he continued to explain to the vendor what he thought they were doing wrong and how he thought they could improve. He wasn’t trying to be rude even if it might appear like that, then he heard someone call out his name and a singular brow rose in an expression of curiosity.

The woman that was grinning at him was clearly the one that called his name — Ana. The one that he bid on and played cornhole with earlier and a faint and friendly smile appeared on his lips. Completely dropping the conversation that he was in the middle of. “Ana,” His voice even in positivity was icy and somewhat cold in tone. His natural state. Just like the country he was born from. Icy and cold.

Shrugging his shoulders as he picked up a glass of wine he was enjoying and sipped on it, “You kould kall it zat,” Nice. He somewhat rolled his eyes away from her in somewhat of a playful style instead of rude though it could be mistaken as that. Setting down the glass of wine as he locked their eyes together which made him appear more serious than he actually ever would be in such a situation. “Beginnerrrs lukk.” Pushing it to only that as if he didn’t have any skills at all. It was his first time playing cornhole so he didn’t realize he was good at it and really put it up to being a fluke. He probably wouldn’t win her if they played again or the time after that or time after that. Doubting his abilities wasn’t something he did but he didn’t feel confident that whole game.

Tilting his head when he was asked if he could buy two girls a drink, his eyes blinked slowly, as if he was considering his options here. He could say no. He could agree. Did he want to buy them drinks? “Mhm…” His eyes scanned the space between the two girls and his eyes looked at Lily then back to Ana. “I suppose zat I kan be nice tonight,” These words were said plainly with a hint of kindness. All his words, actions, and even tones could not be complex. There were always mixtures of multiples in his being.

Glancing away as he pouted and made puppy dog eyes, “Zat look vill not vorrrk viz me,” His voice was playful at this instance as he stood up. No reason to stay sitting at the table if he was going to buy the girls drinks, he had to go somewhere to get the drinks.

---

Location Festival
Interaction(s) @The Muse Ana

[LovelyComplex]

____________________________________________________________________

_{INTERACTIONS -
Kitty with Levi @The Muse
Stella with Reya & Talie @PrinceAlexus}

When Levi swiftly put Kayleigh down, she watched him in silence before turning her attention to Lily who was hurriedly picking up the remains of her gift basket. She continued to observe as Lily and the new girl, Goldie, exchanged words, even catching them staring momentarily.

Lily is talking about us.

Turning back to her date, her stormy eyes fell on Levi’s shaky hand and watched him quench his thirst and bury his nerves with his beer. “Fun you say?”

Kitty tilted her head and smiled, even catching sight of Brad leaving the stage and venturing off into the festival.. If there was someone that was hard to read, it was her and maybe it was because her screws were loose. Maybe it was because she had the attention span of a squirrel. Maybe it was because she had the emotional range of a dog. Whatever it was, nothing she thought could be read on her face. If she was even thinking. Those that knew her, really knew her, knew there was an extremely intelligent girl inside there somewhere who had intention behind the chaos.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on stage soon?”

Considering his words for a moment, she released Levi’s hand in the process. He wasn't wrong. She did have somewhere to be but should she give him the satisfaction of leaving him be? Now that sounded like no fun. “Yes. I should’ve left like ages ago," she said matter-of-factly. "But," she added, hooking onto his arm and not caring for his personal space. "It’s fine. They won’t start without me. Will you be there? You should be there. I’d be so sad if you weren’t there.”

“No, I didn’t smoke weed, but B-Rad did,” Stella giggled, wondering if she was supposed to say that or keep it on the hush hush. Shrugging, as she walked beside her company and listened to their back and forth, she let the more sober people lead the way. When they reached the waffle vendor it was hard not to see Bradley from a distance. He was a giant! If she really squinted her eyes, she could even see his sister's hat.

“I think you’re the one who needs someone to keep her warm...”

Taking her eyes off of the sibling duo, she laughed, adding her two cents to the conversation happening around her, “I think we all need to. Get laid I mean!” She spoke loud enough for all those around the waffle truck to hear them and a few teens started to chuckle behind them. Oblivious to all that, she ordered her chicken and waffles. There was a feeling swirling inside her like she was forgetting something… but for once, she was unburdened by responsibility and worry. She was simply here and in the moment.

"...A little rope play perhaps?"

“Ropeplay?! Role…play?” With a shocked expression, she grabbed the container and thanked the good lad serving them food before looking at Talie. Where was this conversation going? Noticing she was holding up the line, Stella let Reya pay for her and shuffled to the side, “Sorrryyyyyy and thanks, Rey!”

As she tried to focus on the other girls, she could hear a male’s voice do a sound check with the mics. Oh that’s right. Talie thought Reya needed to get laid. And something about roleplay. Rope? Role? No matter. Reya needed cupid on her side. Cupid being her. The best friend. With a sudden mission, Stella dismissed herself from the group, “I realized… I have to pee! So hold this,” she pushed her food and drink in Reya’s hands, who was already holding a water bottle from Talie. “Take care of her, Talie, I’ll be back.” Before either girl could say anything, she scurried off, having one thing on her mind.

Zachary Snypes.

Reya has liked him for-like-ever. Maybe he can give her a shout out while he sings. Give her a suave serenade and make her heart go boom boom.

The plan was simple, she’d approach him before he even started his set list and then she’d be like hey, yeah, so do you like thirsty brunettes? Wait, no. That made it sound like SHE wanted Zack. Stopping in her tracks, out of sight of the waffle truck and the growing crowd in front of the music stage, almost tripping, she realized she didn't know how to be cupid. Rarely was she ever a wingwoman for anyone, let alone her bestie. Only a short stretch to the back stage, she decided to take a few steps back and find a patch of grass. Plopping down, she felt the grass and tried to think of the proper way to tell Reya’s crush to date her.

Think, think. As Winnie the Pooh usually says.

“Come on Leviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii,” Kitty was practically dragging her friend, impatient and needing to go on stage but demanding Levi to be there, when she wanted him to. “Now, go be a good boy and sit with your friend over there.” Kitty gestured to the tall boy with waffles and for extra measure she gave Levi a friendly love tap on the booty. “I can’t wait to see what you have in store for me. It better be fun, like you promised!”

He didn’t promise.

“See you from the sky!”

[Expendable]

Kat sighs as she walks home. There were things going on back there during that auction and afterward that made her wonder just what sort of place Uncle Oskar had dropped her off in?

At the school, everyone kept their distance. When she walked into a room, conversations stopped. Really, the only conversation she got at all was with Ms. Kingman and Dr. Greene, a couple of the staff. Art school wasn't much better, to be honest. Really the most she ever interacted with anyone since was with her kidnappers. And Uncle Oskar.

The night was still, barely any hint of a breeze as she walked past dark houses and the occasional flare of motion-sensitive lights. Pulling out her phone, she did a search for podcasts - and found a curious one, "Night Theatre." She shrugged and decided to give it a go.

(sirens)
"Drake! What are you doing here?"
"Hey Owen. Just taking a walk."
"Yeah, out of a bar, I bet."
"So what's going on here?"
"Looks like a hit and run, poor guy never saw it coming."

Drake peers over Officer Clarkson's shoulder and got a look at the victim and froze, feeling icy fingers down his spine. It was his client from this morning, Moe Booth.
"Wow," Drake managed. "Accident or was someone after this guy?"
"Looks like an accident to me. You uh, know that guy?"

Drake smiled. "Never met that man before in my life, officer."

Hours later, the door to Drake's office swung open.
"Detective Steele," Drake smiled, taking in her impressive form... '

There was a sudden slap and someone whined, "Ow! Why did you do that.... huh, oh!"

"Uh, Detective Steele," Drake smiled at the female detective."How can I help you, today?"
"Cut the crap, Sheppard. We found your card in the wallet of a hit and run victim. And you were reported at the scene."
"I was just out for a walk. Is that a crime?"
"So why were the two of you sitting next to each other at the Black Cat Cafe the night before?"
"Had we?" Sheppard asked. "I don't recall."
"Drake, if you know something, you better tell us now."
"Because I drank some coffee and gave a stranger my card? I've no idea who killed him or why."
"Uh huh. Well, if you do remember something, call me. Seems waiting is really bad for your health."

Drake watched as Anabelle Steele walked out of the door, slamming it behind her.

He frowns. "What did Moe get himself into?"

[Viciousmarrow]

---

Interactions: Ana @The Muse
Brad & Mitch @BeastOfDestiny

"Fireball, huh? Interesting choice."

Lily shifted self-consciously at the mention of her preferred vice, but was ecstatic that Ana had decided to join her after all.

“I just… really like cinnamon, I guess. Cinnamon rolls, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Apple Cider… Stuff like that…'' she muttered quietly while following Ana to her car, wondering if her predilection for the spice was a little too much. “I mean, you don’t have to treat me to Fireball necessarily, it’s just… you know, it’s cheap.” Ana was certainly a sweetheart. She was really sure what to expect from her, but it was nice to feel included in something. On top of that, Lily couldn’t help but stare at Ana’s bottom as she leaned over and put away the basket and books. The auburn haired woman blushed, pondering why she couldn’t have been so lucky to be so endowed. Perfection just wasn’t meant for everyone, she supposed.

Lily was distracted by inward physical comparisons until Ana suddenly called out: "Moxi!" The name elicited a sense of panic in the anxious librarian, even more so when her new friend exclaimed this was the person she was going on a date with. Lily couldn’t even begin to count off the number of rumors she’d heard about Moxi, and not a single one of them was good.

His gaze was one of an icicle, his expression as unending as a frozen crevasse. Lily couldn’t help but fidget nervously in his presence. There was a strange handsomeness to him, a sort of Patrick Bateman or Casanova Killer-adjacent charm to him. She reminded herself that she needed to stop watching horror movies and those murder documentaries… especially when someone like this Moxi guy was around.

As he seemed to agree to Ana’s ask and walked off, Lily immediately grabbed Ana by the shoulders, eyes as wide as the burgeoning moon above.

“What are you doing?! You can’t date that guy! He’s bad news!” she frantically whispered to the blonde. “He’s like…. Our bad guy. Not the good kind of sexy, you know, bad boy, but like a real bad guy. Ms. Matilda thinks he trafficks women out of the night club. Jane thinks he’s the opium mule around these parts. Linda says she swears he threatened her husband’s life!” Lily slightly shook Ana for good measure.

“Point is, he’s bad news! Handsome, yes, but you know who else everyone thinks is handsome? Ted Bundy!!” She suddenly pulled her new friend into a hug. “I barely know you, Ana Rork, but I don’t want you to die because you’re so nice and pretty and I just can’t have that at all!”

---

"Fine, fine, although I don't think he's told us who I'll be taking home tonight, I'll still help out…"

Zack humored himself with Mitch’s quip, even thinking it was a real question. Rubbing his chin as he led his help over to their gear, he considered who would actually be most likely to go home with Mitch. “Hmm… Let’s see. Who would you end up with? Definitely not Em. She’s never done anything with anyone, ever, as far as I know.” He immediately scratched his sister out of the picture

“Kitty… Maybe? She’s probably the most adventurous. Just don’t get your hopes up with anything long term. Don’t think she’s ever had a real thing before. I’m kind of in between them, I guess. I’ve had flings and I’ve had relationships before, but I can’t say those relationships ever really lasted long, I guess… Just haven’t found that person, not yet I anyway.” Zack shrugged, giving too much of an answer to a sarcastic question.

“You shound like a real fracking losher talking like that.” Em piped up, passing the trio as she carried out some cymbals haphazardly out to center stage. Zack scoffed, half-surprised to see his sloshed sister actually doing any work.

“Don’t pay her any mind. She’s drunk, sure, but for some reason she plays and sings better that way… Guess it takes the stage fright or whatever away. Anyway… Let’s help her with the drums, then we’ll set up the guitars and keyboard.” He directed the duo to where their equipment was: on the back of his truck, just behind the stage. They probably would have performed on the back of the truck, but why do that when the town actually gave them a real stage?

“So you two got names? Feel like I’ve definitely seen you around town before. Definitely sorta remember seeing you around school.” He pointed at Mitch while pulling the bass drum and its pedals out of the truck, trying to place a name to the face but coming up short. Man, high school felt like a long time ago. Hell, 11 years had gone by so fast and he was still out here in the middle of nowhere, no love life and no record deal to boot. Ah well, it’d all come in time, right?

[The Muse]

Levi tensed as Kitty interlocked her arm with his, his mind subconsciously making him glance up to check if Lily was still staring at them or not. Luckily, it appeared that the other blonde woman had walked off in the opposite direction with her. "Uh…" Levi looked back down at Kitty when she questioned if he would be watching the show. "Yep… I’ll be there." He confirmed, fighting the urge to unlink himself from her and instead following her lead as she dragged him on through the crowd.

His eyes searched the crowd desperately as he walked with Kitty, trying to find anyone who could help him escape this trap. Where was Tommy when you needed rescuing?! If it wasn’t for their complicated history, Levi would’ve been enjoying Kitty’s forward nature and take-charge attitude. In fact, he had obviously enjoyed it when they were younger. Kitty was cute and the way she didn’t care to beat around the bush was refreshing at times.

“Now, go be a good boy and sit with your friend over there.”

Levi looked over to where Kitty was guiding him, finding his old roommate Brad who was clearly in the midst of trying to cure the munchies. Feeling a tap on his butt, Levi clenched and snapped his attention back to Kitty. In that moment she reminded him of his ex-girlfriend. Very forward, touchy, flirty, and especially in the way she just called him "good boy".

“I can’t wait to see what you have in store for me. It better be fun, like you promised!”

"I’ll try my best." He didn’t remember promising her anything, but he would genuinely try to plan something fun to do with her. The only problem was that he had absolutely no idea what it was that Kitty enjoyed doing besides making people uncomfortable. He’d need to ask around.

“See you from the sky!”

"Break a leg up there!" He wished her luck on stage, grateful that she had other duties to attend to tonight instead of fixating on him. He had no idea what she meant by “see you from the sky”, but usually when Kitty said odd things he’d just go along with it.

Turning away, Levi quickly made his way over to his savior. "Brad!" He called, lifting his head in an upward nod. "What’s up?" He greeted, plopping himself down in the grass next to his friend. "Looks like we’re both in for a date with Kitty." He chuckled and gave Brad a little shoulder nudge, smirking as he recalled putting Brad up for auction without his friends' knowledge. "She’s a feisty one. Any clue what she likes to do for fun?" He paused, turning his gaze back to the stage where Kitty had made her way to. "I don’t actually want to date date her. I’ll leave that to you." He laughed, looking at Brad again and making a mental note that his friend was definitely high. He didn’t even need to say a word - his eyes said enough. "I don’t think I ever told you what happened between me and Kitty when we were in highschool, did I?" He pondered for a moment, trying to remember. Levi might’ve told him at one point, but they were likely drunk or high at the time. Or both. There was no telling what Levi had said or what Bradley would’ve remembered. He shrugged, "I just wanted the “date” to try and make amends." He paused for a second, "Although… she doesn’t seem to be upset at all. That’s… good?" He questioned out loud, unsure if it was actually a good thing or if she was scheming something behind the scenes. Kitty could be so confusing.

---

_{Interactions: Kitty @LovelyComplex & Brad @Hey Im Jordan}

[The Muse]

"Is it always the quiet ones though? A little rope play perhaps?"

Reya burst out laughing, trying to erase the image of the sheriff tying up Talie in his bedroom. That was the last thing she wanted to imagine! "It is always the quiet ones, you’re right." She agreed, holding the smile on her face as she looked around for a free table to take their food to. A lot of people were beginning to gather in the area; some choosing to sit in the grass, some at tables, and some standing right in front of the stage. "Oh, there’s a good spot!" She pointed towards an empty table that was fairly close to the stage. "Let’s hurry before it gets taken."

“I realized… I have to pee! So hold this. Take care of her, Talie, I’ll be back.”

"Oh -" Reya took the food and water that Stella shoved into her hands, "Wait, you don’t want us to come with you?" She asked, confused, but it was too late. Stella was already hightailing it away from them before Reya could even finish the question. "What the heck is going on with her…" Reya muttered under her breath, wondering why Stella was being so flighty today.

"Well, let’s go grab the table at least.” Reya looked over at Talie and tilted her head in the direction of the table she had spotted as a gesture for Talie to follow. “Hopefully the line for the bathroom won’t be too long so she doesn’t miss the show.” Reya thought out loud as they made their way across the knoll area where people were beginning to post up.

Sitting down at the table, Reya slid Stella’s food and drink across from her at the table to save her seat. Looking up, Reya took in the view they had of the stage as the band began to set up their instruments. “Have you heard them play before?” Reya asked, looking over at Talie. “I think they are actually pretty good, usually.” She looked back at the stage, “I might be biased, though. I grew up with all of them so I’ve heard them play a lot.” She smiled, purposely leaving out the part about also having a giant crush on the guitar player who Talie tried to “save” her from earlier in the day. Thinking of that incident, Reya looked down at her leg which was all scraped up with bits of dried blood on it. “I think this is fitting for a rock concert. Fits the vibe.” She laughed, stretching out her leg so Talie could see her new accessory.

---

_{Interactions: Stella @LovelyComplex & Talie @PrinceAlexus}

[PrinceAlexus]

Talie "Friendly local rock nerd"

Location
Concert
Mood
Happy, Cheeky and Flirty.

"We will look after each other, look for me, im tall!" Talie saw Stella leave at a rapid pace but did not know her so could not judge if it was an odd action. She was right, it had been a while since she even had a date, or anything else to that matter. Too busy, moving, her parents… she needed a fresh start. Stella was drunk but seemed a happy drunk and rather sociable.

Talie laughed as her cheeks turned a little more dusky about the quiet one's comment. The Geologist did not quite not expect to return the remark so easily. "Exactly, if its good you'll not be quiet anyway." Talie said quietly to Reya as they took their food and drinks. "I'm not that bad. I just want something nice for once ya know. The cute stuff, flowers, someone who holds your hand and helps you out of the car. I'm a sap, I admit it." Talie glanced over at a happy couple sitting close cuddling as they waited, she was independent and driven but hey, sometimes you wanted to be able to not have to he for a time.

"Find a spot she can see us, well me anyway" Talie laughed to her shorter friend. Following Reya they manages to get a decent table and one that had a good view of the stage. It was not the biggest convert she attended by far, Ramstein was loud, loud, and more fire than a volcano. But this was nice, chill and independent. The band was getting set up and things would be getting lively soon. "Newbie, remember, you're my first friend here who looks good in a dress, Manny just does not have the legs to pull it off." pretending to be thoughtful then with a silly smile and being a little childish.

Reminding Reya she had not been in town at all, this was in fact her first major social outing bar coffee and visiting town hall or the Sheriff for coffee and a chat. "I hope they live up to their confidence and their hair colour, I may have seen a few other bands in different places." Talie stretched a kink out her neck as she made self comfortable.

Pausing to enjoy her meal of sweet, delicious goods and the water she probably needed more than her last alcoholic drink! She was happy though, Reya felt safe and she had the feeling the woman was trustworthy. Her instinct tended to be good so she went with it.

Accessory… What was Reya talking about? Seeing her leg all torn up with cuts, marks and so, it would heal up soon. She had cut, bruised and caught herself on so many Rocks learning her trade by making mistakes. Rocks were shockingly sharp. Talie felt guilty but her failed save had also made a friend, even then she felt bad about hurting Reya plus it might ruin her date outfit plans… her new friend could easily attract a man or woman the old fashioned way.
"I… Im sorry, We can go out, or whatever you want, i probably can accompany me as an escort to get you into the restricted land, the newly discovered old Northern mining camp. Federal magic."

"I have a kit in my truck, i could have cleaned and found a light bandage if you asked. I'm trained." Talie said sadly, she felt guilty about it and looked like Reya had not had time to properly clean and so her Talie induced rescue wounds. "I hurt myself so many times in Training… like i even somehow got a cut where i was wearing a top and jacket! Completely covered. " Talie spoke as she drank her water gladly needing something non alcoholic. Rocks wherew sharp. Lesson learned very quickly.

"Shall we see if you can get a backstage date, those two look ruggedly handsome. If you like them that way. Older, little more rough round edges but also more experienced." Talie teased Reya abit with an entirely and deliberately bad attempt at sounding innocent. "Hope the band is good as you say, i like heavy metal. You gotta try this." Offering Reya some of her rather sweet and indulgent waffle bounty. Switching the subject to not be too hard on Reya, Talie still felt guilty. She bounced abit randomly, alcohol, sugar high and guilt was a real random mix.

Mentions
@The Muse@LovelyComplex

Passing
@Viciousmarrow@BeastofDestiny

[Kumbaris]

@The Muse

A black Alfa Romeo pulled into the parking lot near the festival site, the presence of the car making it stand out among the other, lesser vehicles the Italian car lorded over. The engine was killed off for the moment, and the door opened, revealing a woman wearing a black suit with blue outlines inside her suit. Her eyes darted around the festival site like a hawk, like a predator searching the forest above for her next prey, she didn't say much, looking around before pulling out her phone and nodding her head. "This seems like the correct location, although I wonder if I arrive too late." She pondered. "No matter, hopefully, the family should be here, this seems like a significant festival for a town this size."

The woman then walked into the festival, with all the grace and poise expected from the CEO of a large company, she always hated the fact that the new trend for CEOs is to look like the everyday person, it feels hypocritical to her to see someone dress so down to earth, yet treat their coworkers and employees like trash, might as well dress the part and treat their workers justly and rightfully. She can already see the stares, and she'll admit, she does look like someone from the high rises of New York or some well-off aristocrat strolling through some humble festival, but she's on a mission, and she will not stop until she sees it be completed.

She eyed the festival and quickly approached a brunette woman, a cursory look at American public records revealing that she is the secretary to the mayor, approaching her, the woman put her hands on the side of her chest and bowed. "Hello. Are you perhaps the secretary to the mayor?" She asked. "I would like to make a donation of some $ 1,500 dollars to the charity auction, I understand that the auction is over, but if you would be so kind as to accept this little donation, I would be eternally grateful."

[The Muse]

Despite Ana having told herself that she would no longer associate herself with the cold, calm, and calculatingly devious types, here she was standing next to a man who fit that exact description. It was as if she couldn't help herself; these types of men pulled her like a magnet. Somehow, out of everyone in this town, Ana had found her way to him. The air about Moxi was almost intoxicating. It scared her, especially given her recent trauma, but something about the danger made her excited. She knew she was moving into quicksand and yet she stepped forward willingly. Clearly, the lesson she was meant to learn had not fully sunk in.

_{“You’re looking for chaos because you don’t know any other way to live, Ana.”}

She could hear her old therapist's voice in the back of her mind, chiming in after Ana had expressed confusion and frustration on why she continued to stay with her ex-husband and his abuse year after year.

“Zat look vill not vorrrk viz me,”

But god did it feel good when she could get the distant “bad boys” to play nice - for her. He said the look wouldn’t work, and yet it clearly had. Ana let a faint smirk rise onto her lips as she bit the inside of her bottom lip, her blue eyes fixated on the mysterious man as he stood. She wanted to know more of him.

"Thank you, you’re the sweetest." She said, beginning to follow Moxi to the nearest alcohol vendor. Suddenly Ana felt Lily’s hand grip her shoulder and yank her to a stop, immediately snapping Ana out of her fascination with Moxi.

“What are you doing?! You can’t date that guy! He’s bad news!” Ana’s coy smile dropped as she met eyes with Lily who was clearly very worried and nervous. She listened closely to all the rumors that had been levied against Moxi, which wasn’t very surprising to her in this small town. Hell, even Ana had wondered if Moxi was in an inappropriate relationship with that young red-headed girl earlier in the day. Maybe that was her intuition giving her a red flag and she ignored it?

As Lily shook her and then aggressively pulled her into a hug, Ana tensed for a brief moment as she processed what was happening. It had been a very long time since she had been touched by someone in a caring way, much less by a complete stranger. Ana relaxed eventually and returned the embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around Lily. The hug and her kind words had meant more to Ana than she would ever let Lily know. Lily was probably right, and Ana would heed her words, but… Ana had always been much better at taking care of others than she was at taking care of herself.

"Don’t worry," Ana grinned and stepped out of Lily’s embrace, keeping her voice at a whisper. "I can take care of myself." Reaching out, Ana grabbed Lily’s hand and took a few slow steps back toward where Moxi had walked off towards. "Come on, we’re here for free drinks. Why not have a little fun? You deserve it." She winked at Lily and turned back to follow Moxi with Lily in tow.

"Moxi, my love," She called after him playfully, "I’ll take a rum and coke, if you’d be so kind. And for my friend, Lily… " She looked up at the taller woman, ''What would you like, hun?"

---

_{Interactions: Lily @Viciousmarrow & Moxi @Zora}

---

---

	The Mayor’s Secretary | Amy Ross

"Hello. Are you perhaps the secretary to the mayor? I would like to make a donation of some $ 1,500 dollars to the charity auction, I understand that the auction is over, but if you would be so kind as to accept this little donation, I would be eternally grateful."

“AH!” Amy jumped in her seat and dropped her pen, startled by the sudden voice and person standing next to her. Looking up from the paperwork she had been filling out to count up all the charity money, Amy's brown eyes met the blue eyes of a woman she had never seen in town before. Given the women's professional attire, Amy briefly wondered if she was part of City Hall. That couldn’t be, though, Amy knew everyone in the office!

“Oh! Yes, that is me. Wow!” Amy sheepishly laughed at herself and beamed a smile at the newcomer, taking a mental note that the woman had referred to the donation as “little.” Clearly, she had money. “You are incredibly kind, thank you so much, miss! I wish the stage was still set up so that I could thank you in front of everyone.” Her eyes darted over to where the auction had been held, but the event crew had already torn down more than half of the platform and sound equipment. “We truly appreciate your generosity.”

“My name is Amy Ross. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Amy reached out her hand for a handshake, her eyes then moving behind the woman to see the other stage across the festival grounds that were nearly finished being set up. “The show is about to start, it should be great! Definitely don’t miss out on that one!”

---

_{Interactions:Candra @Kumbaris}

[SkeankySnack]

Mitch & Barry

_{interacting with Zachary Snypes@Viciousmarrow and referencing Reya Parker@The Muse}

---

---

Mitch's eyebrow raised up a little, a small smirk forming on their lips as Zack seriously considered their innocent little quip. An opportunity to tease the older boy presented itself and Mitch latched onto it like a croc, "Hmmm~ not too hot, not too cold, but just right. Sounds like a real goldilocks kind of situation," they pondered affirmatively, their head nodding as if to agree with the statement. "It's just a shame that I'm not into redheads," Mitch winked at Zack, a playful smirk on their lips. Before they could go any further with the banter, one of the other band members came staggering through with some equipment in hand, not before making a dig at Zack first. Though Mitch didn't know the other band members personally, Mitch knew of them and that they were all related to some degree and that felt like sibling fuckery that felt so nostalgically familiar.

Barry followed behind the other two, his head shaking and eyes rolling every so slightly at Mitch's playful and mischievous behavior. A lot of the town had shown up to the festival, along with plenty of out of towners he didn't recognize right off the cuff. One face that stuck out as they passed the crowds was Reya Parker, seeing her made him realize that it'd been weeks since he'd stopped by her tavern. Today was the anniversary, wasn't it? Shit... he made a mental note to make an effort to visit her soon, if nothing else to just check up on her or at least prose about building maintenance... Barry nearly didn't register that he was about to walk into someone as another red head, who seemed to know the first one, forced her way by.

“Don’t pay her any mind. She’s drunk, sure, but for some reason she plays and sings better that way…"

"Hey man, I'm not one to judge. Everyone's got a boat they use to float, so long as it gets them downstream, who am I to complain?" Mitch smiled understandingly, giving a thumbs up for reassurance as Zack lead the three of them over to the truck. After some brief instruction, the trio got to work and Mitch set about grabbing onto a couple of different drum stands and attachments, the stand for the keyboard was grasped in their other hand.

“So you two got names? Feel like I’ve definitely seen you around town before. Definitely sorta remember seeing you around school.”

Barry set about hauling out the bass drum, hoisting it up onto one shoulder as another hand reached down, and with some impressive grip strength, snagged the floor tom out of the truck bed. "Name's Barry kid, I run around and do the odd job here and there, figured that's why you approached me," he shrugged, "guess you lucked out today." He smirked a little as began the trek towards the stage, hauling the main drum kit components up and setting them down center stage towards the back. Risers had been set up specifically for the drums so they could sit higher up behind the rest of the group, really demand the presence of the crowd as the drummer sets the speed and rhythm of the song. As Barry finished setting up the bass and tom next to it, he couldn't help but notice the girl from earlier struggling with setting up the cymbals. "I Don't suppose you could use an extra pair of hands?"

Mitch smiled as he attempted to remember their familiarity, "I'm surprised you remembered honestly, I'm Mitch, Mitch Kowalski. I was a couple of grades behind you so it's not like we had any classes together, but you certainly left an impression on me." They beamed brightly at the young rocker, open and honest with their opinion. He was incredibly impressionable, a vibrant and charismatic soul, who despite his fiery temperament, could bring people together with his music. "Though to be fair, I think you left an even bigger impression on Principal Sheffield," Mitch started laughing as they carried the equipment over to the stage, "I remember her looking about 10 years younger the semester after you graduated."

[Kumbaris]

@The Muse@PrinceAlexus

---

The Indonesian woman thanked her for accepting the donation. "Just make sure to Email me the record of my transaction. I heard the IRS are pretty strict when it comes to donations like these." She said, bidding her goodbye and giving her a business card with her email on it. "I expect an email by tomorrow, and if that won't work, then I'll just arrive at the city hall and ask for the record myself. Thank you for your time."

And as efficiently and rapidly as she approached the woman, she disengaged and bid her goodbyes. "Well, that's taken care of." She said to herself, "Let's see what else I should do right now... This town seems pretty lively with this event going on, and I wouldn't like to make myself seem too aloof right now, so how about I just... approach someone and ask around? Not the first time I've done something like this, and probably won't be the last." She has done networking and socializing events like these so frequently it has become 2nd nature to her, even though she hated interacting with people she doesn't have a prior relationship with, it is admittedly a fact of life for a businesswoman like her at this point.

And in the admittedly awkward way Candra herself knows, she awkwardly shimmies into the table between Reya and Talie, awkwardly introducing herself in the best way she knows how. "Uhh, hello there!" She opens up. "Is this table open? I'm kinda new in town and I'm still adjusting my bearings a little bit. I'm Candrawati, but you can just call me Candra for short." The woman then outstretched her hand, a clear gesture in an effort to open herself up to the two women. "I heard there's a concert thing going on right? What band's playing right now?"

The woman hoped that her first impression was good enough, and it didn't scare away the two women into thinking she was just some freak or something. She's not from this town, heck, she's not from the country they live in, and the one thing she knows about America is that every region has a slightly different way of doing things, and she hopes that she absorbs enough knowledge about Sanctuary to not seem like an ass to everyone in this town. It would significantly complicate things if she did, especially her little mission of hers she's undertaking.

[The Savant]

---

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! an alarm began to ring about fifteen or twenty minutes after the date auction bidding was done and over with. Glancing down at the watch on his left wrist, he sighed, “Time to go…” The man mumbled to himself because that meant he had about fifteen minutes to get back to the Sanctuary Medical Center, pick up everything from his office, lock her up, and clock out. He had enough time.

Without a second of hesitation or another thought the rusty-haired man was on his way out of the festival. Making his way to his vehicle before getting in and starting the large machine up. The man was silently hoping that he really had nothing to do today after work but it was a constant pile on his desk. The people who led before him seemed to get lazy and careless with their organization skills, verifying, archiving, and everything else. It was an overwhelming job with mountains upon mountains of things to do, constantly, continuously, and it was truly never-ending in his eyes.

Getting to the hospital one of the night nurses greeted him as he smiled with a little wave before heading deeper into the insanity-inducing chromatic colors of the hospital. No comfort. No life. No welcoming energy in this place that looked like it came out of a nineteen-fifties movie. It was almost sickening and weakening to the knees when you thought too hard about it. Gliding past everyone and everything, the doctor was on a mission as he entered one of the biggest office rooms in the building. His office. Doctor Archer Graham was at the side of the door in an introduction to anyone who stood before the portal. A black plaque with gold lettering.

Closing the door behind him so he could focus on everything he needed to grab before heading home — papers. More papers. There was a stack of papers on his desk, neat and prepped for him to take home. Walking over to his desk, he was surrounded by a chaotic mess of organization. It looked like nothing had been touched in years. It really hasn’t. The leader before him appeared to not care about the office's condition or anything to do with it. Archer was planning on cleaning it up more and more, he has been, but it was never-ending. They always brought him more and more. “You will get your happy ever after,” Teasing himself, which put a smile on his face as he gathered all the papers he could into his leather work bag. “Time to go,” The doctor said more confidently this time as he walked out of his office, turning off the light, and turning around. Locking her up. “Till we meet again.” Saying farewell to his office before going down the hall and getting to the time sheets and stamp place. There were not even any automatic clock-ins or outs. They all had to be manually done except for when you placed your time card into the machine, it would print out the exact time onto the time card which was used for two weeks.

Clocking out meant he was free for the night and he was on his way. He said farewell to the understaffed hospital before getting back into his running vehicle and heading home. It was roughly about half an hour to an hour outside of Sanctuary, by a lake, and he was in the middle of nowhere. It was peaceful but lonely.

Getting through that front door with that heavy leather bag at his side was relieving, a gratified sigh could be heard as the heavy door shut and locked behind him. “Home sweet home!” Screeching out as he decided he would get right to work and skip dinner. Who needed to eat anyway? The man went up to the second floor and turned on the office light before entering the larger room with plenty of natural lighting but it was night, so he needed the artificial light for the time being. He turned on the lamp that sat on his desk as well. Opening his leather bag and putting the stack of papers on the desk, he realized something and smiled. People were applying for nursing positions. There were a few.

Picking up the first one on the stack of papers, Anastasia Clarke, and he sat that resume at the center of his desk. Archer was going to get a cup of tea first.

---

[The Muse]

"I have a kit in my truck, I could have cleaned and found a light bandage if you asked. I'm trained."

Reya smiled at Talie’s concern, but shook her head to decline the offer. "I’m okay, really." She shrugged and settled back into her seat. "It’s funny looking back at it now. I know who I’m calling if I ever need a serious distraction." She laughed a little at the memory of Talie barreling into her on purpose. "I assume you were trying to save me from Zach?" She questioned, raising a brow and glancing over at Talie curiously.

"Shall we see if you can get a backstage date, those two look ruggedly handsome. If you like them that way. Older, little more rough round edges but also more experienced."

Reya turned her attention back towards the stage, finding two familiar but unexpected faces on stage carrying around music equipment. "Oh, that’s Barry and Mitch, I know them." She said, eyeing the two as they crossed the stage and joked with one another. Why in the world were they setting up all the equipment for the band? Did Zach hire them? Barry was typically a regular in the tavern, but Reya hadn’t seen him in some time which was unfortunate; she enjoyed his company. She had never considered him to be someone in her dating pool, especially since he was more than ten years her senior, but there was no denying that he was ruggedly handsome. Still, the thought of such a thing was… odd. Mitch was at least her age, but Reya had never thought of being more than just friends with them. They were definitely attractive, but Mitch had never shown any interest and neither had Reya. Why ruin a perfectly good friendship? "I can introduce you, if you like." Reya smirked and looked back over at Talie who was offering her a bite of waffles.

"Uhh, hello there! Is this table open? I'm kinda new in town and I'm still adjusting my bearings a little bit. I'm Candrawati, but you can just call me Candra for short.”

"Hi Candra, pleasure to meet you." Reya replied with a warm smile, making eye contact with the beautifully dark haired woman who made herself comfortable at their table. Introductions to strangers came naturally to Reya after working at the tavern for so long, so luckily she did not feel too awkward with this random interruption. Plus, it wasn’t in her to turn a cold shoulder or tell the woman to sit somewhere else. "I’m Reya, and this is my friend Talie." She gestured over to the other brunette. "The band is Vermillion Ablaze. It looks like they should be ready to start soon."

Looking over the newcomer, Reya was surprised to see how nicely dressed and manicured the woman appeared. A suit worn to a summer festival seemed like a strange choice in this rural town. What corporation did she work for? Maybe she was someone new in the Mayor’s office trying to make a good first impression? Usually Reya would have heard about a new hire there by now; many of the older crowd that worked in City Hall attended the tavern for lunch and they loved to gossip. "Did you just move here?" She inquired, wondering if the woman was just passing through or not.

Glancing over at the stage, Reya briefly wondered where Stella was. It had been a while since she had left for the bathroom, which was concerning since Stella was drunk. What if she was lost? Maybe she was throwing up… No, the line was probably just long. Yes, that had to be it. Reya decided to wait a little longer before gathering a search party and returned her attention back to the women at the table.

---

_{Interactions: Talie @PrinceAlexus & Candra @Kumbaris
Mentions: Barry, Mitch @BeastofDestiny & Stella @LovelyComplex}

[PrinceAlexus]

Talie "Friendly local rock nerd"

Location
Concert
Mood
Mixed.

"Hurting people is a bad way to make friends…. Or good… we are strange. " Talie smiled at the change in mood and Reya seemed not to mind the situation that they met under, it was definitely hard to forget. "My personal is on the back, you seem fun. " Talie said hopefully, in a friendly way, Reya seemed someone who she could get on with.

"Zach? Red hair Rock guy … Yes, I was reminded of a bad situation with a college ex. Someone got me out of a bad spot as he turned out to be not so nice when we fell apart… and kind was paying it forward." Talie admitted honestly pausing to think how exactly to describe it. She did not want to dredge up all the grey details but the situation was not great and she had a good and honest reason for wanting to help Reya. He had turned out to be a rather rotting Yolk in a rather attractive egg, plus he really knew what to do with certain things. Only he turned out to be a creep after it broke up. "I read him wrong? He not a bad egg?" asking tentatively.

Talie bit into her chocolate quietly as the old memories hit her, she did not like to mention that but Reya was owed an answer why and she was now past that time in her life. Good things now, reminding herself she had loved, learned and moved on from her not so great college dating history.

Her skin turning a little more dusky at the sudden change in subject, glad of it Talie grabbed onto it like her morning coffee. "They are rather… another time, I kinda already have a rather public date of sorts." Talies eyes glanced around to check, she did not want to give herself a bad reputation.

Candrawati, OK Candra she could do without causing offence by first meeting her. Talie herself went by for own reasons but Natasza was a little tricky for some people. Reya had already welcomed her and did not mind, she looked rather smart yet still female in that suit. It caused her to raise a mental eyebrow at exactly how potentially wealthy she was. That was not a cheap suit by any means. Talie herself was in a rather nice date dress and coat so was glad almost she was not only who had dressed up though!

"Im Natasza, but Talie is easier and sounds less like a professional me. I'm very much off duty." Talie spoke lightly but was also kinda a difference. She was Talie, then she was also Dr Natasza Stepanova on official stuff, given how her work was variable it kept her two selves separate. "If it's local, ask Reya, I only got my posting here a few weeks ago Candra." Talie was honest, she did not want this woman to not get the help she needed. She had felt rather lost till she met Thomas who had told her where the local food shop was and how to find her house. GPS was not always 100% reliable here.

"Il do my best to help though." Talie added kindly. Newcomers had to look after each other in small towns. "Nice suit." She added, Talie had to admit Candra made that look really work for her and small compliments did help break the ice.

"My card, if i can help let me know" Digging a USGS card out of her bag, it had the office location, phone and a work mobile. It was not exactly what they were for but the woman reminded Talie of well. Herself.

---

_{Interactions: Talie @PrinceAlexus & Candra @Kumbaris
Mentions: Barry, Mitch @BeastofDestiny & Stella @LovelyComplex}

[The Savant]

---

After going into the kitchen and heating up some water and winding down for the night, Archer ended up making himself a cup of earl gray tea. The man slowly walked back to his office since he was in no rush to face the mountain of paperwork that was bestowed to him before he left work. Simply sitting down in his office chair once again his eyes focused on the papers in front of him. His eyes scanned the name once more, Anastasia Clarke, and he couldn't place a face to a name.

If I could be heard leaving his lips as he gently picked up the small resume from the woman. Reading it over. Everything looked up to par with what he would want in an employee, especially in us. He wanted to see if she was willing to work full-time or part-time. The Sanctuary Hospital was always on the staff and it sounded like it has been on the staff since it was created. He really had no hopes for any ambitious individual applying for any of the positions. One could hope. “ I'll definitely have to give this one a call in the morning.” The man gently set aside the resume as he went through the other paperwork and realized that it was an unorganized archive of items. Forgotten papers. Something that he would need to look through and figure out if the hospital should even keep things. Some of the papers look like they were from the hospital or the town started.

Archer found himself glancing at the resume instead of looking at the pile of paperwork. A part of him was wondering if he should reach out tonight. She did have an email address on her resume. Reaching out wouldn't do any harm would it? The man decided to reach for his leather work bag and bring out a laptop that cost him a few thousand, something that he got late last year or the year before that. He couldn't remember. Opening up the laptop and bringing it out and turning it on the man instantly went into his work email. Not his private one. Thinking about what he should write if you should write at all. Then he started typing away in a separate document so he didn't accidentally press send if he sent it at all.

Coming to himself as he wrote out to Anastasia, he wondered what he should specifically say. He wondered if he should ask if she wanted two interviews as soon as possible or what days she would be able to interview. The medical board of Sanctuary seemed to not have any care in the world for their job or for others so he would have to take time to interview anyone who wanted a job at the hospital. It was funny how you could go from internships in Bailey getting paid to a full-time position that put more work on your plate than you would have asked for a period he just found himself in a funny situation where he was the head of the ER department and sometimes working 60 or more hours a week but then he'd find himself doing certain things that the head of the hospital should be doing. Things that would not fit into his job description at all. Things that brought him away from the ER on the surgery table.

That was when he finally entered Anastasia's email into the two who category. Sending an email that read:

Anastasia Clarke,

I would love to take the next steps in the hiring process and set up an interview with you. If you could please give me a few times and days that would work for you I will get back to setting something up with you.
I would also appreciate it if you could give references. These do not have to be formal references. I would like at least two.

I hope you are having a wonderful night and hope to hear back from you,
Doctor Archer Graham
Head surgeon of Sanctuary Hospital.

Picking up his cup of earl gray tea with honey and taking a sip out of it. He watched as the browser updated him and informed him that his email was sent. The man decided to move over on his quest to get all the information he could possibly get done for tonight. He set his laptop over to the side as he began to organize the archived papers that were given to him.

---

@The Muse Digital communication, email, to Anastasia Clarke

[Kumbaris]

@The Muse@PrinceAlexus

---

Candra was relieved that she was not expelled from the group at least, and both Reya and Talie were pretty accommodating to the new arrival, She's also interested in the coming rock group's festival as well. She doesn't mention it frequently, but she was a bit of a rocker girl when she was in her teenage years, punk rock was a bit of a big thing back when she was busy studying for her finals and hoping to get a scholarship for her University. Literally everyone was sporting long hairstyles and teachers would often get mad whenever the boys started idealizing the American artists whose musical lyrics didn't suit the typical classroom environment they were striving for.

Ah, those good old days. But her reverie was quickly interrupted when Reya asked the woman a question.

"Did you just move here?"

"Well, kinda sorta. I'm a property developer you see, busy scouting out locations in the US to expand my company's portfolio. Really nothing special." She replied. Hopefully freeing Reya from sensing her other motives, even though she hasn't had much luck finding her family so far.

"So this... Vermillion Ablaze band. What kind of music do they play?" Candra asked Reya, curious as to the band itself. "I don't look like it, but I love rock music. When I was a teen rock music was the jam I play all day long on the radio, really annoyed my parents for a while haha!"

But her questioning was cut short when Talie handed Candra her business card.

"My card, if I can help let me know"

Candra haven't told her anything regarding her other family, so she was a bit confused when Talie offered her help and handed over her business card. The Indonesian woman looked for a bit before putting it in her breast pocket. "Thank you for your offer Talie. Although I'm not sure what kind of help you might think I need. Have we talked before?" Candra asked, looking a bit confused. "Sorry if that came off as crass, but I nonetheless appreciate your offer to help me acclimatize into the town."

[The Savant]

---

The man stayed in his chair and at the same table he was when the auction was going on. After he moved from his back row seat that was. He moved to a back table to talk to a few other locals. Once everything appeared to be set up for the live music event, many of the older locals who would sit around and chat with him decided to get up and go. He understood. The music was going to be loud. Many people. Very crowded. Very energetic dancing.

A drink he got from one of the food trucks was in hand, a hot tea with sugar and cream, and he got something for dinner as well. Sitting there as he had his notebook out and jotting down his observations. What were people doing? Saying. Everything he could see and hear.
The item he got for dinner was loaded nachos. Liquid cheese, sprinkled cheese, salsa, beef with taco seasoning, lettuce, black olives, fried beans, rice, and guacamole with sour cream, and there were a few lime wedges on the side. It tasted pretty good as he casually scooped up the mixture with one of the chips and plopped it into his mouth while watching the crowd interact.

There were two individuals that he was watching. Very young. They both looked like they were in the same grade. Probably freshman in high school or possibly eighth graders. The boy was shy but he still was brave enough to give the girl an item he won at one of the festival booths. As the girl's eyes lit up, the boy’s eyes did too, and she took the stuffed toy before hugging him quite roughly out of excitement and pure joy. She was so happy to receive the stuffed animal that looked possibly like a raccoon or fox. He couldn’t tell from here as he adjusted his glasses and made a vocal noise before jotting the observation down.

The boy’s reaction looked surprised only for a few seconds as the girl grabbed his hand and pulled him along. She seemed excited nonetheless and she went over to a group of friends or it appeared like a group of friends. People that looked their age. He watched as some of the body language of the other kids changed when the girl and boy entered the group. Some did not. They all seemed on good terms. The girl seemed energetic with how she spoke even though Doctor Fitkau couldn’t make out any words from where he sat. As the interaction began to calm down, his eyes wandered, and he ended up finding an old couple that stayed around. They were dancing to the noise of the crowd more than anything. They were ready to stay for the live music event.

Continuously consuming his loaded nachos and drinking his tea, Doctor Fitkau thought for only a second that maybe he should go enjoy himself yet he found that he was already doing so. He enjoyed observing and writing things down. He didn’t know if he had it in him to continue going up to people and socializing after the long day at the festival. His body felt worn out to a point.

---

[PrinceAlexus]

Talie "Friendly local rock nerd"

Location
Concert
Mood
Happy, Cheeky and Flirty.

"USGS to introduce myself properly. I'm the Lead here, not that means much in a Two person Office. Just me and Manny." Talie Joked slightly. She had nothing against the fact she was here, the fact was there were influences larger than just the developers and building houses. Someone was looking to restart an old quarry, others were interested in the mining history and operations and more. Plus she may have to work with her as USGS had to check to make sure land was safe, too much mining history around this place to undertake major projects without checking what was under it first.

Talie could not help but laugh slightly at the whole rock thing. This very well put together woman in a smart business suit was into rock music. It was clear you could never judge people by what they wore and what they did for a job. People definitely surprised you. "It caused so many bad jokes, i'm into rock music. Metalic… ore.." Talie made a terrible pun pretending to be serious. "I prefer heavier stuff, Ramstein, and such but this band seems interesting personally." Talie spoke rather interested in discussing music. "I go for a pretty wide range though. I try to get to concerts when I can. I missed FFDF sadly…" Talie had to miss one due to work commitment moving here. She had not planned everything out perfectly.

Choosing her answer to Candra carefully about the whole thing. Her offer to help needed little explanation and context. Let her waffle feast and food buy her time to think. Savouring the sweet treats and food after a long day. "No, I have not met you before." Talie spoke nervously and was unsure of the whole situation. "Sorry. I only meant, "I was new here, it's not always easy being a newcomer." Talie spoke honestly, small towns could be the loneliest places even though they were friendly and people kind…but not always welcoming.

"Aww… ok, I cannot say I did not appreciate that either myself." Talie smiled softly watching the young couple and her boyfriend hand her a cuddly toy he won. Teanager, woman, she had a giant bear and it was cute, cuddly and plain adorable. Well it was not her boyfriend in Talies case but it was a friend, and one who was nice to her.

….

Peyton was dressed in jeans, dark cowboy boots and a flannel shirt thrown over a t- shirt with a simple framed Caterpillar logo on the front. His dark hair and beard was neat and tidied up. He knew the doc from a few chats when his Fiance had left, he was a good ear and had not judged or treated him badly. He seemed like a fair guy. "Whats up doc, want something stronger than leaf water and chips." He felt generous though had not been bidding, he did find it quite fun and the Sheriff had interest from an attractive Latina Brunette, and then..Well the others. There certainly were some interesting chats going round the office. Emily had 2 dates… not that he was badly paid, a 4th generation heavy kit tech round here was never a lacking trade.

"Mind if I sit down for a minute?" Popping a bottle of beer down, a glass and pulling a knife from his belt hidden by the flannel shirt popping the cap off with a blade without much attention and dropping the knife back to his side. Taking a drink and approving of the bottle before pouring a pint out.

"Always liked the festival, I remember watching them in a bar, about 20 people and a worn out sound system." Looking over to the band he had watched them early as honestly he had been bored that night. They were not bad, though they had improved quite a bit on technology. Their original kit looked like it had been cobbled together in a barn.

Peyton relaxed a little, it was a nice distraction from his empty home he had on the edges of the town.

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_{Interactions: Talie @PrinceAlexus & Candra @Kumbaris plus @Zora Doc Fitaku
Mentions: Barry, Mitch @BeastofDestiny & Stella @LovelyComplex}