A few hours ago he'd arrived in the small lakeside town of Alice, shifting impatiently in his seat as a relatively small man attempted to get his bag down from the overhead shelves above him, too full of pride to ask for any assistance. The process took several minutes that felt like hours, and Diana had to stifle his desire to clap sarcastically when the man, face red, finally began to make his way back down the isle and off the train, he felt bad for them though, everyone was muttering, even the workers had gossip amongst themselves, but that's what made the day pass by, and what kept them loco-motivated for the mind numbing task of customer service.
Dai slipped outside with his small suitcase (admittedly, being particularly weak in the limbs he was struggling slightly) and weaved his way through a small crowd blocking the way. The station wasn't especially busy, Alice itself was mostly supported by the wealthy vacationing families whose cabins dotted the lakeside, but there were a good number of people trying to commute on legitimate business. He kept on walking, and just outside the open air station grounds (which were covered by overhanging, translucent canvases) Dai found a number of cabs lined up neatly at the sidewalks edge, each just as bright and polished as the next, and after making quick, awkward conversation with someone he hadn't personally met Dai managed to convince a driver to take him to his cabin; "I just need to get to the Starlight Lake-house". It was an awkwardly silent ride, his usual driver was especially chatty and made the short trip of about twenty minutes as enjoyable as possible, but this one was deadpan and silent save for a few words about the weather when prompted, though his expression in the rearview mirror gave away his general disinterest. Diana knew that it was more likely than not this man would eventually be fired, considering it was part of his job to be especially friendly with the customers, but being shy and uncharacterized by his own wealth, Dai didn't try to make anything of the awkward silence. When he got to the cabin, workers were milling about, cleaning and stocking shelves, so he tried to make himself as small and unnoticed as possible as he slipped upstairs into his own room and slept into the late afternoon.
"If ya need anything just call okay?" said a small but strong looking woman in jeans and a loose shirt as she got into the passenger seat of a large white van, they were the last of the workers to be leaving, and she'd been a friend to him since he was very young.
"I will Laura." Dai responded quietly, smiling despite himself as he took a few steps back. The woman smiled knowingly, confidently, as the van started to pull away, she began to say something else, but he was too distracted by the dust kicked up as the van sped out of the driveway to hear her. It pulled haphazardly around the bend back toward town, and vanished quickly into the dense treeline.
After a short bout of coughing and rubbing his eyes, Diana sighed with visible irritation before turning his attention back toward the cabin itself. Admittedly, he was more than a bit nervous about going back inside on his own... usually there were servants of some kind moving about during the summers, and they kept him at ease, but now he was truly and completely alone as the sun started its slow decent. Biting his lip he made his way over the small expanse of grass between the driveway and the porch. The lovely cabin, exterior painted in soft, neutral colors while the porch itself was made up of well sanded planks, and every window clear as crystal, was made ominous given his mindset. He stopped a moment, having surmounted the short steps, to face the door in distracted silence, shifting on his feet awkwardly and trying not to glance to either side in fear that something would be nearby to startle him. Dai reached out, finally grasping the dark bronze colored doorknob and gave it a turn, but he had to lean into the door itself with all his weight for it to open, much to his dismay.
The inside of the cabin was well lit, as they could easily afford to keep all the lights on if they wanted, but it made him feel no better about the situation, casting quick glances at the various corners and windows and doorways that would otherwise be completely innocent and familiar to him. Drifting, he went into the living room and flicked on the stereo, mostly for background noise, and as the radio personality prattled on Dai moved to shut some of the curtains over daunting windows, before heading upstairs quite slowly, and running back down, laptop in hand, and tried to make himself comfortable on the floor, keeping his back to the nearest wall to ease his mind. A song started to play, one he knew well enough, but he paid it little mind, instead turning toward the various online conversations he was more or less a part of, and wondering when his friends, Faith and Raven, would arrive. He'd invited them both a number of days prior, and had arranged, loosely, with the station that the ticket costs for any Starlight guests were to be placed on his bill, but time was lost to his own thoughts and his overall discomfort with being alone in the cabin.
Dai slipped outside with his small suitcase (admittedly, being particularly weak in the limbs he was struggling slightly) and weaved his way through a small crowd blocking the way. The station wasn't especially busy, Alice itself was mostly supported by the wealthy vacationing families whose cabins dotted the lakeside, but there were a good number of people trying to commute on legitimate business. He kept on walking, and just outside the open air station grounds (which were covered by overhanging, translucent canvases) Dai found a number of cabs lined up neatly at the sidewalks edge, each just as bright and polished as the next, and after making quick, awkward conversation with someone he hadn't personally met Dai managed to convince a driver to take him to his cabin; "I just need to get to the Starlight Lake-house". It was an awkwardly silent ride, his usual driver was especially chatty and made the short trip of about twenty minutes as enjoyable as possible, but this one was deadpan and silent save for a few words about the weather when prompted, though his expression in the rearview mirror gave away his general disinterest. Diana knew that it was more likely than not this man would eventually be fired, considering it was part of his job to be especially friendly with the customers, but being shy and uncharacterized by his own wealth, Dai didn't try to make anything of the awkward silence. When he got to the cabin, workers were milling about, cleaning and stocking shelves, so he tried to make himself as small and unnoticed as possible as he slipped upstairs into his own room and slept into the late afternoon.
"If ya need anything just call okay?" said a small but strong looking woman in jeans and a loose shirt as she got into the passenger seat of a large white van, they were the last of the workers to be leaving, and she'd been a friend to him since he was very young.
"I will Laura." Dai responded quietly, smiling despite himself as he took a few steps back. The woman smiled knowingly, confidently, as the van started to pull away, she began to say something else, but he was too distracted by the dust kicked up as the van sped out of the driveway to hear her. It pulled haphazardly around the bend back toward town, and vanished quickly into the dense treeline.
After a short bout of coughing and rubbing his eyes, Diana sighed with visible irritation before turning his attention back toward the cabin itself. Admittedly, he was more than a bit nervous about going back inside on his own... usually there were servants of some kind moving about during the summers, and they kept him at ease, but now he was truly and completely alone as the sun started its slow decent. Biting his lip he made his way over the small expanse of grass between the driveway and the porch. The lovely cabin, exterior painted in soft, neutral colors while the porch itself was made up of well sanded planks, and every window clear as crystal, was made ominous given his mindset. He stopped a moment, having surmounted the short steps, to face the door in distracted silence, shifting on his feet awkwardly and trying not to glance to either side in fear that something would be nearby to startle him. Dai reached out, finally grasping the dark bronze colored doorknob and gave it a turn, but he had to lean into the door itself with all his weight for it to open, much to his dismay.
The inside of the cabin was well lit, as they could easily afford to keep all the lights on if they wanted, but it made him feel no better about the situation, casting quick glances at the various corners and windows and doorways that would otherwise be completely innocent and familiar to him. Drifting, he went into the living room and flicked on the stereo, mostly for background noise, and as the radio personality prattled on Dai moved to shut some of the curtains over daunting windows, before heading upstairs quite slowly, and running back down, laptop in hand, and tried to make himself comfortable on the floor, keeping his back to the nearest wall to ease his mind. A song started to play, one he knew well enough, but he paid it little mind, instead turning toward the various online conversations he was more or less a part of, and wondering when his friends, Faith and Raven, would arrive. He'd invited them both a number of days prior, and had arranged, loosely, with the station that the ticket costs for any Starlight guests were to be placed on his bill, but time was lost to his own thoughts and his overall discomfort with being alone in the cabin.