[IC] shadows.

[Rystelle]

It was Saturday morning and the Rose Cafe was packed with customers. Sophia was hard at work taking orders and making drinks. The cafe, which was established by her parents and named after her paternal grandmother, was her pride and joy. It was her inheritance and one day she would be running it in her parents' place. For now Sophia was attending a local college in order to obtain a business degree. She already knew the ins and outs of the business, but she felt that having a college degree as well would be best. Having sailed through high school with good grades and good scores on the ACT, Sophia had managed to obtain a full scholarship to the local college. When not attending classes she was at work in the cafe.

At the moment Sophia was busy behind the counter using the espresso machine to make drinks. As she worked she happily hummed a tune from her favorite video game series--the Legend of Zelda. The restaurant was busy and full of the buzz of multiple conversations. The hum of machinery, the movement of feet and chairs, the sound of the steam as Sophia heated up the milk sounded like music to her ears. Her most recent order completed, Sophia put the drinks on a round tray and started to make her way out behind the counter and to the front of the shop. As she did George, one of their workers, suddenly rushed past her and Sophia spun expertly, holding the tray above her head so that it wouldn't get knocked away. "Be careful, George!" She called after him as she lowered the tray again. She stopped for a moment to inspect it. Everything was still perfect and not a drop had spilled. Smiling to herself, Sophia delivered the drinks to the customers waiting for them.

Just then a familiar face appeared in the door. He was a regular who lived in an apartment about the bakery next door. Sophia didn't really know anything about him other than his name, but as always she greeted him warmly saying, "Hello, Tim! What can I get for you today?"

[DELTED293y5gds]

"Hm?"

Tim pulled one of the headphones out of his ear, looking dumbly at Sophia for a few moments before he finally processed what she said. He waved a small, awkward wave at her after a few seconds of not exactly knowing what to do. This happened to him quite often, considering his life choices. Tim was a recluse, for the most part. He worked from his apartment, coding for big name websites, had no friends, and was in a constant state of foggily staring into space, not necessarily daydreaming, just...not really here. He stood there for a couple more seconds before he began to move.

"Oh, yes, hello!" he said, making his way to the counter. "Hi, um, Sophia. Sorry, I'm a little bit out of it today."

He took out his other headphone, then bundled it up and shoved it all into the messenger bag that was lazily hanging at his side, holding his laptop. He scanned the menu for a moment before he made his decision, a double shot of espresso with milk. He waited for his drink at the counter, looking at the face of his phone to check for any messages. There were none.

"So, um, you close in, like, fifteen minutes right? Are you just gonna kick everyone out when it's time to go?

[Rystelle]

Sophia walked behind the counter to take his order and quickly rang it up. She was already working on his order, having just ground up the espresso into the little basket and securing it in the machine when Tim asked about their closing time. One corner of her mouth twitched up in an amused smile. The few things she knew about Tim where his name, and that he was somewhat scatter-brained and sometimes seemed to have his head in the clouds. "Tim," she said, handing him his drink, "it's Saturday and it's still early morning. We won't be closing until eight tonight. You have plenty of time to sit here and do some work if you need." Taking his payment she gave him a friendly smile before returning to work.

Once more Sophia was bustling about the shop, busy making drinks and taking orders, stopping to chat with various customers and making sure everything was as they liked it. Eventually her eyes would stray to Tim who was busy at work. She would occasionally stop by his table to check on him and see if he needed anything. He was a curious fellow; quiet, absorbed in his work, hardly ever talking to anyone. Sophia had noticed that he was never one to really start conversations, and she never got much out of him but a polite greeting and his order whenever he was in the cafe. She thought it a little funny that they should be so close in age and so different and also that she knew so little about him despite the fact that they had attended school and college together, him being one grade ahead of her. Deciding that she would fix that today, when it came Sophia's turn for lunch she hung up her apron, made herself a drink, and took the open chair at Tim's table. She sat across from him and did not say a word, instead waiting to see how long it would take for him to notice her.

[DELTED293y5gds]

Oh, yeah, you close in fifteen minutes! It's seven fourty five, right? What? A.M.? Fucking idiot.

Tim had stayed up all night again, without realizing it at all again. He had been working on a code for hours on end, and ended up not seeing the hours go from 6:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m. Again. This week. He had a problem with getting too absorbed in his work. That, and making a fool of himself in front of baristas. So, inevitably, he decided the best course of action for the day would be to fester in his embarrassment in a small, two seated table at the corner of the cafe. He focused in on his work again, completely in his element. He was trying his hardest to meet the deadline for this new website he was coding for a cereal company. His fingers moved swiftly, his focus was completely centralized. The only things that made him break were an occasionally muttered 'yes please' and 'thanks much.'

He made it to a comfortable stopping point, and sighed heavily. His eyes went from his computer to the phone he had sitting next to him, and he noticed that nearly three hours had gone by already. He shook his head in disbelief, and then shrugged it off. This wouldn't be the first time. He moved again, stretching backwards and arching his back over the chair, eyes closed. He leaned back down, rubbed his eyes, and looked up.

A woman had materialized in the chair before him.

He jumped, screamed out in surprise, and grabbed at his chest, feeling his heart beat at a million miles an hour.

"Jesus--fuck!" He exclaimed as he nearly tipped back in his chair, the epitome of human grace. He was breathing heavily, but he was leaned forewards, his head in his hands now, ashamed and embarrassed, for the second time today. He spoke quietly. "Oh, shit, Im sorry. You scared me. Ah--sorry, swearing, not good in public, right, sorry."

[Rystelle]

Sophia hadn't meant to scare Tim, but it only proved how deep into his own world he could often go. Still, she hadn't expected such an extreme response. His reaction was utterly priceless. As hard as she tried Sophia was unable to stop herself from laughing and was doubled over holding her sides as she laughed. The various patrons of the cafe looked over at them with curiosity, but seeing that Sophia was involved they quietly went back to their coffee. Eventually Sophia's laughter turned into giggles and eventually petered out.

"I'm sorry, Tim," she sincerely apologized while still smiling widely. "I really didn't mean to scare you, and I didn't mean to laugh. It was just too funny. Anyway! As to the matter of why I'm here I thought I'd use my break to get to know you better." She paused and took a sip of her drink, a nice hot latte sweetened with caramel and whipped cream. "We've gone to school together forever, and I see you here all the time, but we've never really said much to each other. I think that's quite a shame, really. You seem really nice. So, would you humor me by having a conversation and getting to know each other better? If it's too much of a bother, however, I will let you get back to your work." Sophia sat there expectantly and waited for Tim's answer. She hoped that he would be willing to talk to her, and knew that if he did not want to she would be rather disappointed. But if so she would also respect his decision and leave him be.

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim sat, biting at his lower lip while she blatantly laughed at him, he could feel other people looking at him, their eyes burning into the back of his skull. He felt like an idiot for having such a visible reaction to her presence, and he wished that at that very moment that he could just sink into the ground, become a part of the chair, disappear, anything. But instead, he sat in place, cheeks burning, until she stopped laughing and started talking, seemingly forgetting the event that had just transpired.

He had seen her on campus a couple of times before, when he was still taking classes at Nottingham University, named for the city they lived in. He graduated at the end of Summer, and she was (apparantly) still taking classes there. He hadn't paid her any mind, really. He didnt pay anyone any mind when he was walking. But he remembered her.

She wanted to have a conversation with him. She seemed nice when he talked to her at the counter, even though she laughed at him earlier. Plus, he felt like he needed to prove that he was, in fact, a mostly stable human being capable of cognizant speech. So he decided it would be a good idea to try and socialize.

"Oh, um, yes, I can try talking. It's been a bit since I've acually talked to someone that wasnt myself, really." He tried joking, an unmarked territory for him usually.

[Rystelle]

Sophia's smile only seemed to widen when Tim agreed to talk to her. "I do the same thing on occasion," she said. "The talking to myself thing, I mean. Whenever I'm alone in the car on a long trip, studying, or playing video games, I tend to talk to myself to either keep from being too bored or to work on strategies." Taking another sip of her drink Sophia tried to think of what to ask Tim about. Now that she actually had the chance to talk to him she wasn't quite sure what to discuss. But after a moment's thought, she knew.

"You come in here a lot," Sophia observed. "And you're always on your computer. Do you work from it? Or do you ever play video games?" Sophia loved video games and had been playing since before she started elementary school. That alone was a subject she could talk about for hours. At the moment she was mostly fishing about for things, hoping that something they said would eventually spark a deep and interesting conversation. Or else would at least give her a chance to talk to Tim again later. He was pretty cute she thought, even if he was a bit more introverted than even she could be at times, but she genuinely thought he was nice and wanted to get to know him better.

[DELTED293y5gds]

"Oh, yeah! Y'see, um, I do code? Like, I make websites for big companies? I make sure they're functional and working so that when people go on the internet to look up, like, how cool Frosted Flakes are or whatever, they can see it right from the frosted flakes website." He paused for a moment, taking in just how boring that sounded.. "It's not as shitty as it sounds, I promise. I've honestly done a lot of cool stuff in my career, it isnt that bad and I'm so sorry I've gone off on such a tangent wow."

Tim stopped himself before he talked too much and sounded like an idiot. He felt bad for not talking though, so he tried to keep it going.

"I-im really sorry I sound like a fucking moron? Im just really not good at this talking stuff."

He was tugging at one of his sleeves awkwardly, his eyes dropping to the table.

Jesus christ, shut the fuck up.

[Rystelle]

Sophia had been enjoying herself, listening to Tim talk. His work sounded interesting and she knew what he was talking about. But then Tim started doubting himself, thinking that she didn't understand what he said, that she thought he was boring, and he thought himself no good. Sophia's smile faded for a minute, but then it came back again and gently took his hand that was nervously tugging at his sleeve. "I know what you're talking about." she insisted firmly but kindly as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it.

Sitting back again Sophia said, "I play a lot of video games. The coding that makes the games I play run is interesting to me. If something isn't done right there are glitches. Those glitches can sometimes be funny, but other times they can cause trouble and do things like corrupt save states or fail to render a scene completely, which can mean your character steps into a room and instead of walking over the floor like he should there is no floor and he falls through and dies instead. Also, I took an HTML coding class in high school. While I know I certainly wouldn't be on your level, Tim, I do know a bit more than the average person about what it is you do and how long it can take. So if you'd ever like, feel free to tell me about your latest project. I'll happily listen."

Just then Sophia checked her watch and saw that her break was almost up. Most of the employees of the Rose Cafe had a 30 minute break, but Sophia really only liked to take 10-15 minutes off because she felt that as the future owner she should be the one doing the most work and making sure everything was running smoothly and that her employees were taken care of. She had run of the shop today anyway, as her parents had agreed to let her run it by herself.

"I have to get back to work, Tim," Sophia informed him as she pushed back her chair and stood up. "It was nice getting to talk to you finally." She wanted to say something else and knew that it might be a long shot, but she decided to say it anyway. It couldn't hurt to ask. "Listen, I'm free tomorrow with no school or work--imagine that. Would you like to go visit Nottingham State Park with me? You look like you could use a break from work, and the park's the best place to get a nice breath of fresh air. What do you say, Tim?" Sophia gave him one of her best smiles and waited for his answer, hoping that he would agree to go with her, as he had agreed to talk to her. He really did look like he needed a break, and Sophia couldn't remember really ever seeing Tim anywhere but school, the cafe, and occasionally the bakery next door when she stopped by there and he happened to be there at the same time.

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim stared at her for a moment as she stood up, trying to form the correct words in his head before he said them. This was the most he had ever interacted with someone in months. He could barely hold it together during their conversation, and now Sophia wanted to hang out with him outside? He was a little bit dumbfounded. But shee seemed like a genuinely nice person to him. Like she was actually interested in talking with him. That made him nervous. So he spoke quickly, in run on sentences, putting his things away as he did, not stopping for breath, not stopping to pause, and barely giving her time to answer or process what it was he was saying.

"Um, okay, I dont know. I dont usually go outside and it isnt really, like, my thing to go to the park and go on nature walks and do stuff like that so im kind of iffy on the subject right now and also parks are dangerous and stuff and theres this guy Alex Burnham trying to beat me at this coding job i have right now because he's an immature little dick bag but I also really enjoyed having a conversation with you and i would love to have more with you and the park is where you want to have it so maybe i am giving you an absolute maybe. I like your hair. Have a nice day Sophia bye."

And with that, he gave her a nod, did an about face, and darted towards the door in the most casual power walk he could muster. He burst through the door, letting the cool air of late November hit his body. He stood in it for a moment, trying to process everything he had just said to Sophia in the Cafe. He put his hands in his hair, pulling it a bit, angry about how he had made a fool of himself so many times today.

"I like your hair? " he said, shaking his head. "I like your fucking hair? Jesus Christ, you sound like a madman!"

And with that, he began walking again, faster than his power walk to the door. And when he got to the door next to the bakery, he burst through it, taking the steps two at a time. He shoved his key into the door at the top of the stairs, unlocked it, and then re-locked it behind him. He stood there, leaning back against the door, feeling sorry for himself. He didn't know what to do. He was scared to talk to this girl again, She was so nice to him, but he was so awkward to her.His mind raced to extreme possibilities, different ways to avoid contact. He thought of maybe just going to a different coffee shop instead, effectively cutting her out of his life. OR moving away, or anything. But eventually, he pushed those thoughts out of his head. They were crazy and impossible.

And he was so scared of being alone for too much longer, anyway.

He sighed, moving from the door to the small couch in front of him, letting his bag drop as he walked, then his coat, kicking off a shoe with each step until he got to the couch and effectively collapsed face first onto the soft cushions of the couch. He passed out right then and there, his lack of sleep from the night before finally catching up with him.

[Rystelle]

Sophia was unable to reply to anything Tim said because he was rushing his words and seemed to be speaking all in one go. As soon as he was done and had collected his things he had scurried--no, practically ran--from the shop to his home next door, no doubt. Sophia lifted her hand to her mouth to try--and fail--at hiding her amused smile. While he was extremely awkward and bad at communicating with others, Sophia found Tim to be interesting. His faults only seemed to endear him to her, though he knew it not yet, and she also found herself thinking it only served to make it cuter. He also had not completely rejected her offer and so their was hope yet for them to go on a friendly excursion, and another chance to talk.

Tim gone, Sophia cleared off his table and returned to work, once more humming a happy tune but this time with an extra spring to her step. The rest of the day seemed to pass by quickly and soon it was closing time. After shutting down the shop, making sure everything was clean and ready for the next day for her parents, and making sure everyone had clocked out, Sophia returned to her apartment not but a few blocks away. While she lived in the same town as her parents Sophia had been adamant on renting her own place, insisting that it was high time for her to learn how to live on her own, and for her parents to have alone time together.

Sophia opened the door to her apartment, revealing a clean and comfortable living room. Throughout her apartment you would find books, posters, game consoles, and various collectibles from games and movies. Shrugging off her jacket she hung it in the closet and tossed her shoes in there as well, put her keys and wallet on the coffee table before stepping into the kitchen to grab a drink and a snack. Sophia went into her room and sat down at her computer, which she turned on. Once it had finished booting up she pulled up an online MMORPG and put on her headset. When one of Sophia's internet friends saw her username appear as online she made a call and Sophia hit the button to answer the call.

"Hey, Ally," Sophia greeted warmly.

"Hey, girl!" Ally replied. "So how did running the shop by yourself go today?"

"Fantastic! And guess what? There's this one guy who comes in all the time, and we've gone to school together for years, but I never really talked to him before. Just never happened, ya know? Anyway, I finally decided to talk to him today."

Over the other side of the line Sophia could hear Ally clap excitedly. "Ooh!" She exclaimed. "Do tell!"

So Sophia told Ally all about Tim as they played their game together. Eventually Sophia called it a night and crawled into bed, her last thought before sleep hoping that Tim would decide to go to the park with her after all.

[DELTED293y5gds]

Timothy, what do you think you're doing?

Tim opened his eyes, but there was still darkness all around him. His breath was heavy, he felt lightheaded, he was starting to sweat. He felt something dripping down his arms, warm and sticky and strange. He tried to look, but he couldn't make his head turn to do it. He tried lifting his arm up so he could see it, but they felt like they were attached to his sides. Tim struggled for a few minutes, trying desperately to see what was going on. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't move his arms at all.

Honestly, dear, how could you be so insensitive?

He turned, trying to locate the source of the voice that was talking to him. It was definitely feminine, older. But there was nobody around to speak to him. Nothing but darkness. Darkness and the warmth that was trickling down his arms and dripping from his fingertips. He desperately wanted to look at the source, to do anything, to find someone. He was getting frantic. His breathes were heavier. If he could see anything, it would be in double vision. He felt like he was about to pass out. He was going down. Soon he would--

Dont you care about your mother?

And there, standing in front of him, was his mother. Looking angry. She wore a purple cardigan over a simple flowered blouse, along with a pair of black mom jeans and shoes to match. Her brown hair, which was beginning to grey, was pulled back into a loose ponytail, little strands frizzing out here and there. She was slightly out of shape, and she stood with her arms crossed, posture straight. She looked angry. Tim wondered why. He wondered if he could speak. He tried.

"M-mom, I--"

Dont! She said, effectively cutting him off. She shook her head. You cant talk your way out of this one. I am so...furious! I'm furious that you would do such a thing!

Tim was dumbfounded. He had no idea what she was talking about. But she looked so angry. So disappointed. He could make things right, he was sure of it. HE just had to apologize for what he did. Whatever it was he did, she could forgive him for it. She was his only parent. She could forgive him.

"Mother, please, I'm so sorry for--for whatever I did, I didnt--"

Just imagine if I walked into the bathroom and found you like this. How would you expect me to react? How? How is any mother supposed to react when she finds her sons body?

Tim stopped breathing for a moment. He couldnt say anything. He didnt know what to say. The warmth was still dripping down his arms. It was driving him crazy. HE had to look. He tried looking again, and he found that his head would cooperate with him this time, and he looked at his arms.

Blood.

He nearly shrieked in terror. There was a steady stream of thick, red blood, flowing out from the area where your arms begin to bend, right near the center. There were deep lacerations on each one, letting his blood run freely. He tried holding one down, covering the wound, but it was useless, blood was covering his hands now, flowing through his fingers. He began to cry. Sob. Break down.

"What the fuck?! Mom, what--"

She was gone. He was alone. Alone with his burden and his darkness. "Mother, wait, come back, dont leave" He shouted through his sobs, needing someone to be there. Someone. Anyone. Anyone. But nobody would come. And he was alone.

He was so alone.

---

Tim woke with a jolt, breathing heavily, in a cold sweat. He was back on his fluffy couch. Back in reality. He frantically looked around. He was in his apartment. He was back above the bakery. He grabbed at his arms. There were no cuts. There was no blood. He was just fine. He waited for his breath to return to normal, which took a while. He waited still for his heart to stop beating faster than a heart normally should. That took even longer. But, after a few minutes, that went back to normal as well. His throat felt like a desert, though.

He sighed shakily, falling back into the couch, staring up at the ceiling fan. This was the fifth time in two weeks he'd had that nightmare.He didn't like it at all. He let his hand go through his hair, combing it backwards. He slowly regained his sense of reality. He blinked a few times before he stood up from the couch, moving to the kitchen now. He grabbed a clean glass from the sink, filling it with water from the spout. He drank it all without stopping, and when he finished it all, he put the glass back down in the sink. He leaned back against the counter, completely awake now. Trying to forget about what he had just experienced, he started thinking of the day before him. He planned to fill it with coding and work and coffee a--

Sophia. She wanted to hang out with him today. She asked him. She asked him. But he was nervous. There was something about Sophia that equal parts calmed and startled him. He thought of not going. He never really gave her a yes, so he could easily just not go and just tell her that he needed to do a lot of work or that he got sick or something. That could work.

As Tim tried to develop an elaborate scheme to get out of any kind of social interaction, his eyes wandered, eventually falling on the white board. His thoughts stopped, centralizing on what he had written there weeks ago. He sighed again, shaking his head as he read and re-read his note.

Talk to someone. Make a friend. Stop being such a loser and go make a goddamn friend you piece of shit.

"Fuck..." he whispered under his breath. "...I need to listen to myself. I need to. I need to. I need to stop being...so alone."

Tim went through his normal morning routine of jelly toast, a shower and a shave, followed by brushing his teeth. He got dressed and made himself presentable. He tried not to think about the nightmare. He instead thought about Sophia and about becoming friends with her. HE looked at himself in the mirror, telling himself that he would be normal. That he would be cool. No embarrassment today.

"Make a friend. Make a friend. Make a fucking friend. You can do this." he said as he pulled his coat on over his shoulders, pulling something out of the faux fur on the hood as he did. He looked himself over in the mirror one last time, nodded, and swiftly turned around, heading for the door. He messed up before, but he wasnt going to mess up again. Not this time. He was nervous, but he pushed the feeling deep into his gut. He wasnt going to have it today.

He was going to socialize if it killed him.

[Rystelle]

Sophia woke up, picked up her phone to check the time, saw it was seven, and decided to roll back over and snuggle up underneath her warm blankets. Then suddenly she thought of her possible plans for the day and quickly changed her mind. Tossing her covers off Sophia slid out of bed with a big grin painted on her face as she thought of going to Nottingham State Park today with Tim. He hadn't actually given her a definitive answer, but Sophia decided to remain optimistic and believed that we would go. Even if he decided not to she would still go see the state park herself.

Sorting through her closet, Sophia picked out an outfit that would be good for traversing the park. The park included a forest and mountains and it had many trails that wound through the forests, over hills, and up the mountains. It was also bound to be chilly today, especially further up the mountain. With that in mind Sophia pulled out a comfortable pair of blue jeans, a long-sleeved shirt that was dark gray in color with a picture of the Tri-Force on it, and a pair of sturdy tennis shoes. After dressing she brushed her hair and put it up in a ponytail to keep it off her neck. That done she went and made herself a quick breakfast and also prepared a lunch for two consisting of sandwiches thick with meat, cheese, and vegetables, trail mix, fruit salad, protein bars, beef jerky, and a few bottles of water. The lunch items she fit neatly into her hiking backpack before adding in everything else she had collected: A flashlight with new batteries, her digital camera also with new batteries, spare batteries, matches, a lighter, a whistle, first-aid supplies, rope, a Swiss army knife, and a blanket--all sealed up tightly in waterproof bags.

When it came to hiking through the state park Sophia liked to be cautious. Although the trails were easily marked there was still a chance of something going wrong and winding up stranded in the woods. It had happened to campers and hikers before. Sophia doubted that such a thing would happen to her and (possibly) Tim today, but if it did she would be prepared for it. Everything was now ready and Sophia pulled on a think black jacket lined with soft fleece, swung her backpack on, grabbed her keys and wallet, and headed out the door.

Sophia parked at the Rose Cafe and quickly dipped inside to see if Tim was there yet. He wasn't. She checked her watch. Only 9 o'clock. Sometimes Tim came in at different times so he might not have come yet, but to make sure Sophia decided to ask her mom who was working the register at the moment. "Morning, mom," Sophia said with a smile.

Looking up to see her only child, Renee smiled brightly. Mother and daughter were nearly identical, and each often thought it was like looking at a younger or older version of themselves. Sophia and her mother shared the same slim figure, the same dark brown hair--though where Sophia's hair only reached past her shoulder blades, Renee's reached to her waist though at the moment it was tied in a braid--the same almond colored eyes, and the same bright, infectious smile.

"Good morning, sweetie," Renee greeted as she finished out a customer's transaction. "Aren't you off today?"

Sophia nodded. "I am," she reported. "I'm actually going out with a friend today. Have you seen Tim today? From next door?"

"Tim, hm?" Renee mused. Having recalled that she hadn't she said, "No, I haven't seen him yet. Since when have you two started talking?" There was no scorn or disapproval in Renee's voice as she asked this, merely a motherly interest.

"Yesterday," Sophia told her mother with a smile. "We've gone to school together for pretty much forever, and he's only a year older than me, but we never talked before so I decided to talk to him yesterday." Sophia considered telling her mother how she had accidentally scared Tim and his awkwardly adorable quick exit, but she decided to keep that to herself. Besides, her mother already knew Tim was a recluse and that he appeared to be bad at directly interacting with people for more than just a couple of minutes "Anyway, I invited him to go to the park with me today since I never really see him anywhere but here and school. Thought he might like to get out a bit--even if he doesn't know it. I just wanted to check and see if he had already come through."

"No, not yet," Renee said. "But I'm sure he will soon. You can wait for him here if you want."

"Nah, that's alright," Sophia replied as she waved off her mother's offer. "I don't want to take up any space. I'll just get a hot tea and two shots of espresso with milk to go, please." Sophia paid for the two drinks and would have made them herself but her mother insisted that it was her day off so she should relax.

Handing her daughter the two drinks Renee beamed and said, "I made yours sweet, just how you like it."

"Thanks, mom," Sophia said gratefully, leaning across the counter to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Tell dad I said hi."

"Will do, sweetie. Have fun."

Sophia nodded and made her way out the cafe. She stepped into the bakery next door and bought a few crescent rolls before returning to the front of the cafe where she leaned against the building, sipping on her hot tea as she waited for Tim to show. Although she had no way of knowing for sure that Tim would even agree to go to the park with her, she at least wanted to talk to him a bit and had even gotten him his coffee and some crescents to split. Still, Sophia held onto her optimism and she hummed happily to herself as she waited in hopes that Tim would soon appear from his apartment.

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim walked out of the door onto the street, the cold air hitting him again, causing him to shiver ever so slightly. He zipped up his coat, looking around a bit before he began to walk down the sidewalk. Music was blasting into his ears, filling his head with the haunting melodies he loved to hear. He had already spotted Sophia, and he exhaled harshly when he saw her. But he kept his pace. He didn't stop walking. He needed t do this. It was very important. If he didn't do this, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. He steeled himself, and, in the next few steps, he was upon her. He pulled the earphones out of his ears, and nodded at her.

"Hi, well, I'm here, you got me out of the house. Congrats, people...don't actually usually get me to...do that."

Tim smiled an awkward, sort of half smile as he pulled another loose thread out of the fur on the hood of his parka. He dropped it to the ground, slipping his hands into his pockets as he did. "Sooo...what do we do now, exactly? Im not very good at this, sorry."

[Rystelle]

At the sight of Tim, Sophia was unable to contain her excitement and she beamed widely at him. "Good morning, Tim!" She greeted cheerfully. "I'm glad you decided to come after all. I was a little afraid you wouldn't," she admitted truthfully. Holding out the coffee and bag of crescents to Tim, Sophia said, "Here, I brought your usual coffee and some crescents. You don't have to eat them if you don't want them, but I brought them in case you hadn't eaten anything. You'll need some energy since we're going hiking. Anyway, I'm parked right over here. Let's get going." So saying she walked over to her car, a gray Altima Nissan with the Hyrulian symbol on the bumper and a triforce dangling from the rear view mirror--Sophia really loved the Legend of Zelda-- and unlocked it. Although the car was kind of old it was in good shape and it was clean, so as Tim slid into the passenger's seat his feet met no clutter on the floorboards. Once they were both in and buckled up Sophia turned out of the cafe's parking lot, switched on her blinker, and checked to make sure both sides of the road were clear before pulling out onto the street. It was a half hour drive once they were out of town to get to Nottingham Park, so she and Tim had a bit of time to talk. Not that she was really sure how much she would get out of him.

Regardless Sophia asked, "So what made you decide to come, Tim? If you don't mind me asking, of course."

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim chuckled nervously, staring down at his feet. He didnt quite know what to say to her. He wasn't quite prepared for her to ask that question, really, and his mind flashed to the dream from the night prior. He scratched at the back of his head a little, trying to think of an appropriate answer for her. He made a hand motion that didn't really make much sense, muttering a bit before he was able to dorm a cohesive sentence or two for her.

"Ah, well...a bad dream, I guess? I dunno, I guess I was just sick of being alone or something. Plus I didnt wanna code anything today because I'm literally losing sleep over it, so I needed a break. That, among of course many any deep seated psychological issues that I've had since I was a child, y'know, the whole shebang. Murdered a dog, a cat, stabbed my own mother."

Tim looked at Sophia, who looked a bit scared by this point.

"Um... I was joking, about the issues part. I thought it would be funny. I dont normally do jokes."

[Rystelle]

For a moment Sophia had been legitimately frightened. Did I just let a crazed ax murderer into my fucking car? She thought to herself in a panic. And now I'm bringing him to the woods where he could easily hide my body. Fantastic! When Tim revealed that he was joking she calmed down, but still felt a little on edge. "Well," she said, grimacing a bit, "you might want to work on your jokes, Tim. I may have a twisted sense of humor at times, but you've gotta start off small when you first meet someone, ok?" The rest of the car ride was a bit silent with neither parties really saying much. When they finally reached Nottingham Park, however, Sophia seemed to relax completely.

She pulled up to the small wooden building where visitors stopped to declare what they were doing and to pay the fees--the money brought in by the park went into helping to preserve it and keep it in order. However, if you went to the park often you could simply pay a small fee and you got a pass that was good for the year. Sophia went to the park often enough that she decided to invest in one, and all she had to do today was pay a small fee for Tim's entrance.

"Hello, Mr. Thompson," Sophia greeted the guard by name. "Bringing a friend with me today. Just using the trails." She handed Mr. Thompson a five dollar bill and in return he gave her a paper pass to put in the car's window when she parked.

"Have a good day," Mr. Thompson said, tipping his hat to her before she drove off.

Sophia quickly found a place to park and she got out of the car, stretched and breathed deeply. "Ah," she sighed contentedly. "Better already." She pulled her backpack out of the back seat and shrugged it on, locked the car after Tim got out, and pocketed the keys. "Ready to go?" She asked, her normal happy grin back in place. She led him to one of the many trails, one of the easier ones, and started off into the forest.

It was a nice day. The air was cool and crisp, the sun shining brightly, the sky clear except for the hint of some storm clouds in the distance. But those clouds were miles away and Sophia didn't think it would give them any trouble. The forest itself was beautiful. Pines stood tall and proud, their foliage still green, while oaks and elms and other deciduous trees where painted in yellows, reds, and oranges. Many of the deciduous trees had already begun dropping their leaves and there was a nice carpeting of them on the forest floor. The dried ones made a delicious crunch when trod upon. Birds song floated through the air and nearby a brook burbled happily.

Turning to Tim, Sophia smiled and asked, "Nice, isn't it?"

[DELTED293y5gds]

Tim was already starting to mess up, and he was visibly more nervous than he was before they left. His movements were smaller, finicky. He had pretty much shrunk into himself a bit, made himself smaller. He wanted to apologize for what he said in the car, for trying to be funny, but he didn't want to mess that up, too. His plans were already beginning to crash down around him. He was playing with the fur on his jacket when Sophia asked him the question, effectively snapping him out of his trance.

"W-wha? Oh, um, yes, absolutely. Air is so good."

He looked at her with a face that said yes, I know what I said was really stupid, and I know you know it and he scratched at the back of his head. He was blushing a bit. HE didn't know what he was supposed to do now.

[Rystelle]

Sophia stopped walking completely and just looked at Tim. He was nervous, fidgety, terrible with people, worse at making conversation, and just a complete shut-in. Yet she didn't blame him, didn't dislike him or shy away from him. She knew he was trying, and to her that was all that mattered. Sophia wondered just how much physical human contact he had and figured it was little to none. Perhaps it was just her being a good-natured person but Sophia really wanted to comfort him and give him a hug because he really seemed like he needed it. She decided to do just that.

She pulled off her backpack and set it aside. Without a word she stepped close to Tim and put her arms around his shoulders. She hugged him tightly. "It's ok," Sophia reassured him. "I know you're trying really hard, and you're doing well. You just need to relax, alright? I promise I'm not going to ditch you just because you make a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. All you need to do is learn from them and press on. You'll get better as you go. I promise." Finally Sophia released Tim from the hug and she stepped back. Her heart was racing a bit and her cheeks were a bit pink from acting upon her sudden impulse. But still she did not shy away and instead picked up her backpack, smiled at Tim, and said, "Come on, let's keep going."

[DELTED293y5gds]

The hugging caught Tim off guard, as he reacted with an audible 'ahhh what?' as she put her arms around him. He breathed in sharply as she did her thing, leaving his arms at his sides. He let her hug him, and he had to admit, it was pretty nice. To be touched by another actual person. But soon enough, it ended, and she was walking away again. So, naturally, he followed.

The trail they went down followed a series of twists and turns and hills and dips. A basic nature walk. Tim had never needed to walk this much before, so it was a pretty new experience for him. And he wasn't really enjoying himself that much, to be brutally honest.

"Oh my god, you do this for fun?" Tim said, trudging up the slope behind Sophia. "What's wrong with you? Youre crazy!"