[M] Chance Encounters IC

[crazydawg444]

Alexander walked down the winding path to Haven Inn's front door. The little inn possessed quite a bit of land, being just on the edge of Sander Village. The path twisted through a couple yards of luscious green grass and bright trees. It was beautiful to behold, beyond anything Alexander had ever seen in the crowded cities he was most familiar with. He held two suitcases as he strolled through the natural wonder that was the building's front yard. If this is just the inn, I think this will be a pretty pleasant trip.

He walked though the door and walked up to the counter. He was greeted by a nice older woman. She was hunched slightly and smiled at Alexander. Her name was Gracia and her family had owned the Inn for three generations, having purchased it from the original owners. Alexander gave his name and she checked his reservation before giving him his room key. He bid her a good day and went up to his room, where he unloaded his suitcases. Afterward he looked in the mirror and reassessed his attire. Black slacks, black vest and purple shirt. He felt tired, so he took the vest off and untucked his shirt.

The festival started tomorrow and lasted two weeks. Seems it will be a major deal. He had business to attend to tomorrow but he could rest today. He walked down to the main hall of the inn, a spacious room with the counter for checking in by the door and a bar/cafe filling the rest of the room. He ordered tea and sat at a table with a bag of cookies. The lighting was perfect in the room and there was classical music playing over an old themed radio. He decided he would relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

[Wanderess]

The scratching of Millie's pencil on paper accompanied a soothing piece of Claire de Lune being played over the old radio. It was so relaxing to her, the calming twinkle of ivory keys echoing in the empty and spacious bar/cafe area filled with empty tables besides her own. She had arrived at the Old Haven Inn not too long ago, and after unpacking her two-weeks-worth of clothing and personal things, decided to explore the inn, which led her to her current situation of relaxing with a warm cup of black tea and Claude Debussy to keep her company.

She set her pencil down in response to her hand beginning to cramp up from holding the same position for a straining amount of time. Shaking it out and wiggling her fingers, Millie noticed the sleeve of her white loose work-shirt smudging her pencil-drawing and rubbing graphite along the arm of the shirt. Cursing softly to herself, she rolled them up to her elbows and brushed off the collection of eraser shavings on her black slacks. She forgot that she was still wearing her professional attire after getting out of a meeting to discuss the details of her 'assignment,' more thoroughly, or what she would rather call 'vacation-time.' Not even an hour into the trip and it already felt more like a relaxing getaway than a 'business-trip.'

"Gotta love my job," Millie muttered to herself, her pink lips turned upwards into a smile as she brought her cup of still-warm black tea to them, sipping it gently.

She hadn't even noticed the man that had walked in until she set the cup down. Making her wonder how long she had been sitting there, unaware of her surroundings like that...

Running her hands through her light brown hair, it felt like silk to her fingertips. She smiled to herself and bit the end of her pencil in thought, tilting her head one way for a moment and then the other way, noticing something a little off from her drawing.

"What are you missing...?" she mumbled to herself quietly as she squinted at the drawing.

[NightlightNinja]

This is perfect! Angel sighed in satisfaction as he stood from the crouched position he had taken to capture the image on his camera monitor, which he took a moment more to proudly admire. The winding path was a lovely leading line to the entrance of the Inn, and the bright greenery all around enhanced the beauty of the photograph, making it a warm, lively representation of nature.

The young, casually-dressed brunette continued to make his way up to the Inn, stopping a couple more times to take close-up shots of some striking flora that had caught his eye. Despite the black rucksack slung over his shoulders that seemed rather massive as compared to his own slender frame, Angel didn't appear the least bit weary. He cheerfully greeted the elderly woman at the counter as he entered, before being given access to his room.

Feeling a little peckish after the long walk, Angel simply tossed his backpack into the closet before going back down to the cafe he had passed earlier, still taking with him the camera around his neck. He took a seat right in a corner of the sparsely-populated area and asked the wait staff, who had promptly approached him, if the place had a signature dessert. It was only when his request seemed to be audible to everyone else in the room, that he realized how quiet and tranquil the ambiance really was. He cringed slightly, making a mental note to keep his voice down.

After the staff had gone to attend to his order, Angel leaned back in his seat and examined the area around him. There was a reason why he picked a corner table, and that reason became clear when the faint shutter sounds of his camera could be picked up coming from that corner.

[fae]

Knock knock knock

"Astrid, are you in there? I need a hand!" Charlotte pressed her ear to the door that linked her room to her sisters', listening for movement.

Without warning Astrid flung the door open, nearly sending Charlotte flying, "What's up?" she chirped.

Charlotte caught her balance, steadying herself with a hand on Astrid's shoulder, before lifting her long auburn curls off her neck and turning around.

"Zip me up?"

Her sister happily obliged, drawing up the well hidden zipper of her new champagne blouse. She smiled a 'thank you' before heading back to her own room to finish getting ready.

Charlotte pulled on her favorite nude pumps and stood to study her reflection. Her legs seemed to go on for days, only being accentuated by her short black high-waist pencil skirt. She adjusted her blouse to show the slightest of cleavage, her satin bra peeking out. The full-length antique mirror was just shy of including her shoes in the view, but it couldn't lie; her ensemble was well put together, and showed off every one of her curves in just the right way. She returned to the bathroom to apply the perfect amount of mascara and lipstick, outlining her piercing aquamarine eyes in a deep black that made them pop, and her perfect pout in an irresistibly deep maroon; the finishing touch, her glasses.

- - -

Astrid watched her sister sashay back to her room, shook her head and chuckled, catching a mouthful of blonde locs. She peeled the strands from her lips, and tied her silky hair into a high pony-tail before pocketing her room key. As she walked around her room to shut the lights off and get going, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and realized she'd nearly forgotten her shoes; in fact she'd gotten so used to gallivanting barefoot in the orange fields that summer she nearly forgot shoes existed! She quickly dug through her bags for her Birkenstocks.

Perfect! She thought, these go with everything!

She slid them onto her tiny feet and shoved her arms through the sleeves of a her white crocheted cardigan, knowing her pale yellow bralette definitely wouldn't be enough to keep her warm, even with her favorite forest-green cotton pants.

After one last quick check around the room to ensure the lights were out, Astrid grabbed the book she was reading off her dresser and stepped over the threshold into Charlotte's room.

"Are you ready?" She shouted at the bathroom, "I'm heading downstairs!"

"Wait!" Charlotte protested, "I need my work stuff, then we can go!"

Astrid shook her head again. "You can't even spend our first evening here without working?" She sighed.

"No, Astrid, you know I'm here to study."

- - -

With that, Charlotte grabbed her laptop and notebook, and the two of them made their way to the Inn's Cafe/Bar. As usual, her sister had already skipped up ahead of her, and was the first to excitedly enter the Cafe. Charlotte took her time, making sure to be alone when she entered; her favorite thing to make note of was how her personal style and appearance affected the culture surrounding her - which is what made working on the first night so imperative. However, with the rate at which Astrid was moving, she was probably going to be gauging how these tourists viewed her little hippie sister first.

She stood at the entrance a moment, scanning the room, before following her sister to the Bar.

- - -

Astrid practically ran into the Cafe, her excitement cutting through the silence of the room. She knew Charlotte would want a drink to unwind with, so she found a spot for them at center bar - not that it was hard with how empty the place was. She plunked down on a stool and took a moment to look around the beautiful old Cafe.

"Good evening, miss, what can I do ya for?" The bartenders voice broke her trance.

"Why hello! I'll just take a lemon water, please! This is a beautiful establishment you work for, by the way." Her silver-y eyes sparkled, taking another glance around the room. "Oh! And my sister will be here to order in a moment, please don't go far!" She grinned at the man across the bar.

He smiled in return, and nodded in response to her requests before fetching her water.

[HOLYCRITDRAGON]

Chris arrived at the small Inn around noon, an hour after he and his friend, Aaron, were supposed to meet up. Chris was already working on his apology when he walked up to the desk and asked for his room key. "Excuse me ma'am, but has an Aaron Williams checked in today?" Chris asked to see just how late he was. after looking through the list of guests the lady at the counter notified Chris that the only Aaron Williams they had listed for a reservation had called this morning to cancel. Chris was very confused and as soon as he got to his room, Chris dug out his phone and hurriedly typed Aaron's number.

On the third ring Aaron picked up:
"Hello?"
"Where the Hell are you, why did you cancel your reservation at the inn?"
"Oh yeah I forgot to tell you I'm not going, something came up"
"Are you serious??? I already paid for the entire stay of the festival, what am I supposed to do"
"I don't know man go make some friends or something, maybe meet a girl hahaha.... anyways gotta go man talk to you later."
-click-

Chris didn't know what to do, he expected to have his friend with him on this trip, and now that he was alone he didn't know what to do. Chris wasn't good at starting conversations or making friends, but once he considered somebody his friend he'd go to the ends of the earth for them. amidst all his worrying about being here alone, Chris' stomach started to growl. I guess the trip put a drain on me, maybe I'll try that cafe that Aaron was telling me about. When Chris got to the cafe he saw some people scattered around the room and quickly placed his order and slid into a booth.

[crazydawg444]

Alexander watched the cafe fill up. When he arrived it was just him and girl silently drawing. Now that lunch time was passing by, people starting raiding the bar. First was a young man with a camera. He sat in the corner and took a few shots of the room. Alexander thought to himself, Must be a journalist or something. This inn is heavily associated with the festival I guess.

Not long after that a young woman dressed rather like a free spirit ran through to the bar. She was loud enough to be heard not ordering alcohol. She was followed quickly by a girl dressed much more seductively, though without losing respectability. The two seemed to favor each other slightly, sisters perhaps. Alexander didn't want to stare, so he looked towards the door. Another young man was talking on the phone seeming slightly distressed. I hope there isn't something wrong.

Alexander finished his tea and realized he had blundered by not bringing a book with him. He didn't feel like leaving though. He glanced around the room and smiled at the camaraderie of the place. People were talking, some dancing. Some guys were getting tipsy and building confidence to talk to girls. There was an abundance of innocent fun in the room, no maliciousness. This had to be the charm of a small town. He smiled and rested his head on his hands while admiring the beauty of atmosphere.

[Wanderess]

"There you go," Millie mumbled to herself as she finished her character drawing and set it down, sighing in contempt. She looked up and noticed that the room had filled up with much more people, and gathered noise with it. She didn't dislike the change in atmosphere, necessarily, but she rather wanted to get out of this formal-wear and into something more comfortable. This desire prompted her to stand up, scraping her chair back as she did so, and gather her things into her brown messenger bag that she slung over her shoulder.

It is lunch time, and maybe I should get out of the inn and find somewhere else to eat for now. I will be eating at the inn a lot after all, and I have a half a day to kill until the festival starts tomorrow, Millie justified her decision to get lost in this charming little town for today, exploring and familiarizing herself with the place that she was to spend her next couple of days in.

Weaving her way past people and out of the cafe, Millie headed up to her room to change, relieved to slip these black heels of pain off of her feet. Sighing in relief, she wiggled her toes and slipped socks on. Aiming for the comfortable over the flashy, she settled with a white T-shirt tucked into lightly faded and loose high-waisted jeans. She tied a large flannel shirt around her waist in case she got a little chilly, and slipped her old jodhpur boots on before grabbing her watch and heading towards the door.

Stopping in front of the body-length mirror next to the old coat rack by the door, she checked her clothes out with one last glance and decidedly pulled up her chocolate curls into a pony tail before pulling the door open to head downstairs.

[fae]

As Charlotte approached the bar she lifted her hand in a stiff wave. Before the tender had a moment to ask, she ordered.

"Vieux Carré, neat, double garnish. Please and thank you."

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a once over before responding, "As you wish, madam," and turned to gather the ingredients.

She placed her sleek new laptop and little black notebook on the bar as she sat in the stool next to her sister. Astrid was oblivious to the people around her as she sipped her water and stared in awe at the intricate decor of the Inn. Charlotte smirked at her sisters innocence.

The Cafe side of the room had seemed empty upon entering, but the bar was buzzing with tourists and locals alike. She surveyed the Cafe tables from her seemingly safe distance, making mental note of who stood out. In the corner, a young boy with messy brown hair was hunched over an expensive camera. Hmm. Astrid would probably make a fast friend out of him. Not far from him a sweet looking girl studied her own artwork before making a swift exit. I'll have to study her another time, it seems. I wonder where she's off to? Charlotte shrugged to herself, and continued to observe the faces around her. There! Who is he? A sharp dressed man with perfectly tousled blonde hair and tired eyes peered around the room. She almost didn't notice him behind the exiting artist. Another people watcher...

- - -

Astrid barely noticed her sister sharing space with her as she spun around in her seat, enamored with her surroundings. The noise and people were hardly noticeable to her as she focused on the character of the building. She smiled to herself and wondered what more she would have the chance to explore over the course of the festival. Her trance was broken when she accidentally splashed herself with ice water trying to place the glass back on the bar; she quietly shrieked at the cold liquid hitting her bare abdomen and quickly stood to wipe it off.

Focused on holding her wooly cardigan and artisan necklaces out of the way, she blushed and peeped out a request "Charlotte, would you pass me a napkin?"

When no response came, Astrid's brows furrowed; still staring at the uncomfortable mess on her skin, she stepped towards her sister and stuck out a hand.

...

Still nothing. Finally she had to turn her attention to her sister.

... Who is she staring at?

- - -

Business casual. Empty tea cup. He seems professional - maybe even important. She raised her perfectly groomed eyebrows in approval and slightly shrugged to herself. All walks of life here, I guess. Has this festival always been so popular? She cocked her head to the right in self question, sending her fiery curls over her shoulder.

The bartender slid her Vieux Carré towards her, she downed half in a single sip, and turned her attention back towards the stranger in the Cafe. Wait.. He has nothing with him? She shifted in her seat, slammed the second half of her beverage, and popped the cherries off their stems with her teeth. A quick knock against the stained wooden bar and the flash of two fingers towards the bartender signaled a second order. She brought her elbow up onto the counter, resting her chin in her hand, much like the stranger. Maybe he's taking a break. He looks like he deserves one.

Suddenly her trance was broken by a small spray of cold water against her cheek

"Aaagh!" She groaned and wiped her face, turning to see her sister going back for another dip in her melted ice, "Astrid!"

"Don't get mad at me!" the tiny blonde contended, "You were busy staring, I was only trying to get your attention!"

Charlotte caught a glimpse of the water on her sisters shirt and stomach and moved to pass her a napkin.

"Who were you so busy watching?" Astrid smirked and poked playfully at Charlotte's side after wiping her hands and torso down.

"Astrid, please," she crossed her arms, "I was not staring."

Was I?

- - -

Astrid chuckled and hopped back into her seat.

"You were, Charlie. You can't bullshit me!"

She watched her sisters cheeks grow pink at the accusation, and shot her a look that said 'I see everything'.

Charlotte shook her head and held her poise, despite the display of embarrassment.

"I was working," she barked, "and don't call me that!"

Astrid nodded and rolled her eyes, she knew full well that Charlotte was interested in someone particular. But who?

Her eyes darted towards the big clock against the back wall, and her stomach rumbled with the realization that they hadn't eaten yet. Noon already? She decided to stop humiliating her sister, and suggested they step out for lunch,

"I'm famished. Should we grab a bite in town?"

Charlotte declined, waving a hand towards her sister as she opened up her notes and logged into her laptop, "Go explore, I'll catch up later."

"Suit yourself!" Astrid was still excited to adventure, with or without her sister. We have plenty of time to explore together! Besides, she has someone to resume 'studying'

She skipped out of the cafe enthusiastically without noticing she'd left her book behind.

[NightlightNinja]

Angel flipped through the shots of the interior on his camera, quite contented with his work. He'd view the pictures again and select the very best out of the collection that night. From experience, there'd be one photo out of around twenty taken that would be worth publishing. He then proceeded to point his camera at the bar area, finding himself in a position to capture a picture of it at a rather nice angle, and even include several of the guests, who were not particularly identifiable and behaving natural enough, in the image.

Before he could snap the photo, however, he witnessed a young woman in the frame suddenly spill her drink over herself. He was startled by the event himself, and flinched slightly with a yelp of "Oh dear!"

He immediately regretted that action, clamping a hand over his lips and darting his eyes to his left and right, hoping that nobody had noticed his random outburst. He then relaxed after seeing that the surrounding diners were still preoccupied with other matters...

"Sir?"

Only to flinch again at the voice of the wait staff who was unexpectedly right by his table, holding a dessert plate. His head snapped around to face the server.

"Your order?"

"Oh! Uh... yeah, thanks!"

The wait staff placed the dish on the table, raising an eyebrow at the seemingly jittery customer in confusion before walking off. Angel, on the other hand, was admiring the serving of a crisp, chocolate brown waffle topped with smaller-than-average scoops of raspberry ripple, chocolate mint and Earl Grey flavored ice cream and intricately decorated with caramel sauce and light red petals around it.

Of course, the next thing the young photographer did was flick his camera back on and snap some photos of the beautiful dish at several different angles.

[HOLYCRITDRAGON]

after receiving his food, Chris let out a sigh, man this is going to be the worst trip ever. Chris took his time of solitude to get a feel for his surroundings. first he noticed the whole show of the girl spilling water on herself, and how the other girl completely ignore her as she focused on something, or someone, else. after that whole performance he noticed a guy sitting in the corner taking pictures and at first thought it was kinda creepy taking photos of strangers, but he soon realized he was just taking photos of the aesthetics of the room. Then he saw the blonde guy that seemed almost to dressed up for the feel of the inn. he just looked complex and Chris couldn't even figure anything out about him.

None of these people seem that bad, maybe Aaron was right, maybe I can make some friends Chris thought to himself with a smile. when he finished his food, Chris didn't feel like going back to his room so he decided to head int town and look around for a little bit