foolhcrdvs

[foolhcrdvs]

who: connor + isa (@icesqueen) when: 11th january 2025 at 9:02am where: the kitchen status: closed

If there was one thing Connor knew well, it was the importance of fueling up before a strenuous workout. Sure, when his dieticians and coaches were hammering in the importance of eating a well balanced meal, he was sure that trekking through snow to look for his missing friends was the last thing they were thinking of. Nevertheless, he wasn't about to go out in the middle of nowhere on an empty stomach. That could only lead to disaster.

Three eggs were sizzling in the pan as he set to work making his protein shake. As he started scooping powder into the cup, he heard the kitchen door open behind him. "Hey, can you get the bread for me?" he called, not bothering to turn around. "I'll cook up an egg for you too, if ya want."

Connor screwed on the lid to his shaker and started working it in one hand as he turned around, expecting to see a friendly face holding out a loaf of bread for him. Instead, he saw one of the last people he expected to see. And now he had initiated a conversation with her. Fantastic.

[foolhcrdvs]

who: connor + miki (@svgarblush) when: 11th january 2025 at 11:17am where: the main living room status: closed

He was cold and he was tired and he had finally been convinced that this wasn't an elaborate hoax or an animal. Actually, he still held out hope that it could be an animal, but Connor couldn't deny something bad had happened. Not after witnessing all his friends scream their throats raw, looking for three girls who just... vanished into thin air.

He already knew it was going to be an emotionally draining day but not like this. Kicking his boots off at the door, he was shocked to feel just how exhausted he was. It wasn't a feeling he was used to, this feeling deep in his bones, the tiredness that clung behind his eyes. All he wanted to do was go up to his room and pass out on his bed but knowing Juno's untouched bed and all her belongings would be there... well he knew it would be a restless sleep.

Connor was sure his friends would forgive him from pulling a Goldilocks and napping in their bed, but as he passed the main living room he figured hanging out with Miki would be a lot better for his mood than a crappy sleep. "Hey there trouble." he started with a smile, before sobering up a little. The delight of seeing his friend after so many years warred with the circumstances of what was going on around them. "How're you doing?"

[foolhcrdvs]

Ever since the scream had shattered the serenity of the morning, everyone had been on edge. It wasn't a mood Connor particularly enjoyed, but he had been swept along all the same. He had been outside, saw the blood in person and had the wet socks to prove it, and he couldn't deny it looked bad... but maybe rushing to the worst case scenario wasn't the best idea? Then again, with everyone's history of this place, Connor couldn't really blame people for thinking the worst.

He had gone back inside to change his socks and actually prepare before facing the great outdoors and the great mystery of a blood trail again. As he was lacing his boots, he heard Jake ask what was going on. Oh how Connor wished he knew. All he could do was give the information he did know.

"There's a fucktonne of blood in the snow." You would think a journalist would have the words to break a story in a more inoffensive way but this was Connor. More importantly, it was Connor talking to Jake. "I think someone left the door open and an animal was hurt but someone said some of us are missing." They could tick Jacob off that list but it made him think. "You haven't seen Roberta this morning, have you?"

𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 : the main room 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 : 01 / 11 / 2025 , 8:05 am 𝘸𝘩𝘰 : jacob & connor @foolhcrdvs 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴 : closed

jake's head was pounding, and if it was up to him he would have slept for another four hours. sitting up in the bed he was crashing in, jake looked over to the bed that had belonged to roberta to see if she was feeling as bad as him, and noticed she wasn't there.

god, why was he up again?

the shuffling and murmuring on the other side of the door answered the question for him. he had been woken and was in a semi cognitive state thirty minutes ago when he someone screamed, but chalked it up to a dream and snoozed for a bit longer. now though, it seemed something had happened. enough to get people up and active.

not bothering to pull on a shirt, jacob walked out of the bedroom and stumbled into the main room, squinting at the bright sun - god his head was pounding - and took in the nearly empty house. where the fuck was everyone? jake quickly spoted connor and asked, "man what the hell is going on?"

[foolhcrdvs]

who: connor + willa (@cinnamcnroll) when: 11th january 2025 at 8:17am where: connor and juno's bedroom status: closed

There it sat. Juno's bed, still fully made. A stark contrast from Connor's unmade bed, even at this hour. It didn't seem like the most pressing issue at this moment in time (but if we were being honest, he probably wouldn't have made his bed even on a normal day). Connor drew his eyes from the unoccupied bed to Willa, who stood beside him also observing the scene.

"It was exactly like this when I woke up." he explained. At least, it was to the best of his knowledge. "I didn't really notice that she wasn't in the room last night." he added, feeling a little sheepish. Running a hand through his hair, he continued, "I just figured she fell asleep downstairs in one of the armchairs or decided she would sleep in a different room last night." It had made sense to his sleep addled brain last night as he had collapsed on his own bed, Juno nowhere to be seen.

Despite them seeming like polar opposites, he had always considered Juno a friend. Sure, she was a little weird and morbid sometimes but Connor found it intriguing. They were opposites almost in the same way that he and Willa were. "Are we sure she isn't tucked away in some random room, sleeping soundly with music playing?" he asked. It was a stupid question and he knew it wasn't the case but he could hope all the same.

[foolhcrdvs]

"Chill, it's all good." he replied as Remy apologised. He wasn't sure what to do when someone apologised to a joke rather than playing along. As Remy reintroduced himself, Connor nodded. He was close, surely that had to count for something. "Cool, cool." he muttered, just for something to say. It seemed the awkward conversation had run its course and Connor was keen to get back inside where it was warm and where his friends were.

"I'm heading back in." His head tilted towards the cabin as he started to step away. "Don't blow away out here Remy."

"definitely a headfuck." he agreed, sure that half of them were expecting jamie and harper to jump out of one of the rooms and brag about how it was all one big joke and how they should see the look on their faces. that, mixed with the knowledge that they weren't there. they had all seen what happened, they had ashy proof that harper wasn't there. it was. . . a lot.

"i-- there isn't. i'm sorry." he apologised, thinking back to his conversation with arlo. it had been ten years, he should for once give the jock the benefit of the doubt. "things are just, i don't know, like you said; it's a headfuck. name's remy, though." the smaller male reminded connor, chewing on his lower lip as he looked up at the boy turned man that he had always been anxious being around. no one truly made him feel like he didn't belong, like a creep, like connor had done. it had been a long time though, maybe he'd grown up, realised the weight that his words could put onto someone. especially someone who was already carrying a backpack full of weights doing its best to drag him down.

[foolhcrdvs]

It was dark and the group, the friends of Harper's who had braved the outdoors and huddled around the bonfire sharing stories about how amazing she was, well they'd been set up for a while. Connor had been minding his own business, when someone had mentioned they saw a figure walking towards the forest. At this time of the night and with it being this cold? It was a recipe for disaster, without even thinking of the tragedy of Jamie Novak. Connor had volunteered to go look. He hadn't wanted to but thinking of the worst case scenario, felt it was only right. No one in their right mind would be going out there now and it made sense in case he had to carry someone back towards the cabin. He wasn't going to let someone like Miki or Camille try and drag an unconscious body back.

With his phone lighting the way, he trudged over and caught the shape of whoever had wandered off. As soon as he saw who it was, he very nearly turned right around. Let Julian make a fool of himself, wouldn't be anything new.

"Shut the fuck up man." Connor didn't want to deal with the other man's crap on a regular day and everyone could agree that this was not a regular day. "What are you even doing out here?" he asked as he looked around at the trees, looking more menacing the darker the sky got. Connor was no coward, but he didn't like the idea of being out here at night after everything that had gone down. And if he had to be, the last person he wanted to be out here with was Julian.

"Doesn't matter, just stop being a dickhead and get back to the fire. Your sister was worried about you." Connor truly couldn't understand how someone as cool as Nora shared a womb with Julian but perhaps it was like when one twin consumed the other. Except, Nora simply took all the better qualities and left Julian with the scumbag parts.

Having done his job, checking on the person who was stupid enough to go into the woods at night and to try and reason with them, Connor turned to head back to either the fire or the cabin. He wasn't sure, but anywhere would be better than out here with Julian.

closed starter for connor acosta ( @foolhcrdvs ) somewhere behind the cabin during the bonfire, 8:15pm.

‎ he could've made himself more useful earlier while everyone was setting up the bonfire. instead, he fell asleep for forty-five glorious minutes, some much-needed shuteye from the past couple of sleepless nights. and yet, he’d somehow come out of it feeling much worse, like his body had finally caught up to his mind and he wished he’d never crawled into bed in the first place.

and because he hadn’t done anything for the fire, he didn’t think he should enjoy the warmth as well as the other have until he made some meaningful contribution. he’d wandered off, closer to the lake than he would’ve liked, but it was the only place besides the bonfire area that was lit enough by the dock nearby to see if he could find any more pieces of wood he could use for kindling to keep the fire burning. 

so far, he’d only managed to gather a few twigs, which would hardly do anything. probably easier to just pour some whiskey in it. or he could throw himself into the fire. whichever was more convenient.

the sound of some twigs snapping behind caused julian to turn around, nearly knocking himself out from under his feet in the process. a shadowy figure emerged from the trees, and from the little that julian could see, it was a person, which was much better than it being a bear. however, that person bearing an unfortunate resemblance to connor acosta might make him choose the bear instead. “i swear to god, if you start whipping your dick out to take a piss…” julian warned him, pointing a long, skinny twig in connor’s direction. the other, smaller twigs were carried in the right flap of his jacket which he held securely against his chest. “...i’m gonna shove this stick so far up your pee-hole it’s gonna come right out of your ass.” he usually wasn't so forthcoming with his hostility, but something about connor always just rubbed him the wrong way and brought out all vicious intents from him.

[foolhcrdvs]

Connor rolled his eyes in amusement and grinned at his friend's teasing. It was nice, a small moment of humour in what was been a very somber week. "Yeah, I would get jealous. That's what you wanna hear right? I'll start acting like an insecure, needy 20 year old. Pick me, choose me Arlo." He joked as he slung an arm over his best friend's neck, pulling him closer. "Actually now that I think of it, Willa can have you and your snoring ass. She's too nice to throw something at you in the middle of the night."

Connor thought more about Harper and how good of a friend she was. Not only to him, but to everyone. She had lent a hand of friendship to everyone in this group and they had all loved her so much that they were willing to come back to the one place no one would ever want to come back to. Her smile, her warmth, the way she truly cared about everyone. "She was the best of all of us." Connor murmured, only loud enough for Arlo who was sitting right next to him to hear. Tears started welling in his eyes, thinking about his oldest friend. "I really miss her."

Connor blinked, realising where he was. This kind of emotion was fine to share, sure. Especially in front of his closest friend. However, it wasn't just him that was sitting in front of the fire. Yes, he knew he could blame the watery eyes on smoke from the fire but it was more than the tears. "Uh... I'll see you inside bro." Connor patted his friend on the back, avoiding eye contact. He knew if their eyes met, all bets were off.

He pushed himself off the log he was sitting on, relishing the last moment of warmth from the fire before turning and heading back towards the cabin. It was time for him to pull himself together.

Arlo chuckled as Connor spoke and he nodded his head, "Yeah, I thought that might be the case. I couldn't say no to her." He could never say no to someone like Willa. She was too sweet. And if sharing with him helped her feel a little more comfortable, well, that was what he was going to do. "Question my judgement? Why? Because I picked someone else over you? Are you jealous?" He teased his friend. Although they hadn't seen each other for a while, it was like no time had passed.

"It's what she did best." Arlo nodded. He just wished that she was there to enjoy them all being together. "And she wouldn't have relaxed till she knew that everyone was secure and happy." Arlo nodded, sighing slightly. He looked down to his hands, feelings his eyes cloud with tears a little. He'd been trying to push it down with everyone else, to make sure that he was there for them, instead. But it was different with Connor. He knew that he could always be exactly himself with the other man.

[foolhcrdvs]

A small, bitter part of him had to agree, he didn't need to apologise. He wasn't the one who had taken what they had and stood on it until it was wriggling, half dead thing. But that wasn't what they were talking about. "It's okay, I'm tough. I can handle it. You're okay, right?" Connor realised he was still holding onto her forearm, and dropped it immediately as if it burned. Everything about this felt awful. As if coming back here and the passing of someone he'd known since he was a baby wasn't enough, now he had to see Poppy for the first time since they broke up.

He followed her gaze and shook his head a little. The last thing he wanted to do was accept help from her, be in each other's circle and make small talk. In the end, logic won out. It wasn't something that would happen often for him unless he was in the middle of a game. "Sure, having an extra pair of hands couldn't hurt." Yes it could. "Come on." he said, all but barreling past her on his way to the forest edge. He figured he'd leave the logs in the woodhouse - no use using the good stuff for a bonfire.

In an attempt to clear her mind, Poppy had gone for a walk around the lake. The cabin had started to make her feel a little claustrophobic. But the walk had done the opposite of clearing her head. Because now all she could think about was the last time that they had all been there. And about Jamie. But mostly, her thoughts were consumed by Connor. They'd been happy here. For a little while, at least.

Poppy was on autopilot as she headed back to the cabin. She was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to pay attention to anything going on around her. Which was how she found herself bumping into the one person that she hadn't seen yet.

Like Connor, Poppy had been doing her best to avoid him. She wanted to make sure that he was okay. She wanted to be there for him if he needed someone but she knew that she couldn't be. It wasn't her place to be anymore. She had ruined everything between the two of them, after all. "No. Don't apologise." She sighed. "I should've been paying more attention." She sighed.

"Do you need some help?" Poppy asked. She glanced over her shoulder to the forest, "I don't think anyone should be going out there on their own."

[foolhcrdvs]

thought provoking memes : 🦕, 🌧.

🦕          »        what    is    something    your    character    wishes    they    could    go    back    into    the    past    and    redo    ?

other than the events that led to jamie's death or not magically being there to stop harper from having her accident? it would have to be the incident that led up to him and jacob williams getting arrested by campus police. it was hard, having to look his mother in the eye as he explained what he had done and how he had nearly jepordised his future and everything he had worked hard for, all for a laugh.

🌧          »        describe    a    time    your    character    did    something    even    though    they    were    scared    .

he was seventeen and even more foolhardy than he is now. his team had just had their first practice of the season, greeting the new players and getting reacquainted with how the pitch looked. there were still a few weeks before their first game and the coach had recommended they all go bond and blow off some steam. the group of boys had ended up at a popular spot that was known for parties and general debauchery and some bright mind had suggested truth or dare. connor, being connor, chose dare. obviously. he hadn't thought twice until he was being dared to go up and stay in the local abandoned house for 10 minutes. every town has an obligatory haunted house and he was supposed to go in to his and what? just wait to see a ghost? that's how all shitty horror movies start. connor absolutely believed in ghosts. he was superstitious and he wasn't going to go out and willingly put himself on the line and get a haunting. however, the alternative was to chicken out and be mocked and ridiculed by his friends for the rest of the year. better to go with the chance of something bad happening than the absolute knowledge that your reputation would be ruined. heart hammering, he entered the abandoned house. it picked up even more when the door creaked behind him before slamming. the countdown was on, according to his watch and it may have been the most stressful 10 minutes of his life. his eyes played tricks on him, mistaking the dark for creatures rushing at him. every unfamiliar noise made his nerves spike. as soon as his time was up, he all but ran out of the house. the cheers of his teammates and the pat on the backs definitely helped calm his nerves but it was definitely not something he would ever want to do again. if he had to though? that's another question.

[foolhcrdvs]

It was as if the cabin was a tomb, preserved and cold and stale. It gave Connor the creeps. He truly couldn't tell what was worse; the rooms that seemed to hold too many memories that suffocated you or outside where your breath was stolen by the cold and held hostage by the vast lake. It wasn't very in line with what he wanted to feel so he figured he may as well go distract himself and what better way to do that was with people. He ducked his head into rooms as he trekked through the cabin, greeting old friends or finding empty bunks. It wasn't until he reached the living room did he figure he had hit the jackpot.

"Don't mind if I do." he responded to the invitation to sit down, choosing the chair next to the couch where Matcha was residing. He settled comfortably in it, his head lolling back slightly as he regarded her with a large smile. "Whatcha doing?" As far as Connor could see, she was just... sitting there.

𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 : the main living room.

𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 : 01 / 10 / 2025 , 2:40 p.m.

𝘸𝘩𝘰 : matcha & anyone.

𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴 : 3 / 4.

🪡 : lake  stillwater  seemed  to  be  frozen  in  time.  everything  was  the  same... the  smell,  the  sounds,  the  eerie  feeling  matcha  felt  wash  over  her  when  left  alone  in  a  room.  a  less  rational  person  would  say  something along the lines of it feeling like someone had their eyes on her,  but  matcha  was nothing if not  rational.  currently  stationed  by  herself  in  the  large  living  room,  matcha seemingly was  just  sitting  and  enjoying  the  silence, her luggage still sitting next to her by the couch.

in  reality  everything  about  this  place  reminded  matcha  of  either  harper  or  jamie.  neither  reminder  offered  any  kind  of  comfort...  more  like  a  stinging  in  her  chest  she  couldn't  quite  shake.  matcha  felt  her  body  stiffen  before  she  could  actually  see  the  figure  out  of  the  corner  of  her  eye  as  they  entered  the  living  room.  ❝  you  can  sit, no need to hover.  ❞  matcha  offered,  kind  of  secretly  hoping  whoever  it  is  will  decide  to  sit  anywhere  but  near  her.

[foolhcrdvs]

Connor nodded as the wind blew, pulling his jacket closer to him. "Yeah makes sense." He knew he wasn't close with the kid, that they never really got along but the frosty reception surprised him. "It's a bit of a headfuck being back, huh?" The concept of collecting his thoughts wasn't a familiar one for Connor. He knew exactly what he wanted to think, wanted to feel, and any pesky, unwanted thoughts that came at 3 o'clock in the morning were swiftly ignored.

At his question, Connor stopped looking around at the scenery and fixed his gaze on the other man. The question surprised him; was he supposed to? They weren't friends. "I know who you are." It was Reggie, right? "I just don't remember your name." Honesty was always the best policy and Connor was always the type to say exactly what was on his mind. Why wouldn't he? He had nothing to hide. "Sorry man, I didn't realise there was a pop quiz on everyone who was coming to this thing." What was next, was he going to get grilled for not knowing his blood type?

he froze the second he heard that voice, like the wind had picked up and chosen to surround only him, freezing him to the spot. remy didn't like to say he hated anyone, but he hated his bullies from high school and from college, and whilst connor wasn't as bad as most of them, he had still made him feel like shit more times than not; reducing him in size, smaller and smaller until he was locked in a shell only a few could undo. "just. . . the same as you, i guess. needed some air, a place to collect my thoughts."

remy had wanted to get away from the cabin, the amount of people there completely overwhelming and knowing connor was one of them had his stomach tied in knots. "you've got absolutely no clue who i am, do you?" and why should he remember the creepy boy always latching onto jamie and harper? and if it wasn't them it was julian and arlo. the other was always protesting when remy was invited somewhere, poking 'light' fun at all of his biggest insecurities. god, he felt sick, but he had to get through this for harper. "don't worry, it's not surprising. not coming from you."

[foolhcrdvs]

Upon hearing Willa's name, Connor couldn't help but smile as he thought about their quiet friend. "All good. If it were any one else but Willa, I would seriously question your judgement." he joked, knowing it wasn't true. Arlo was the kind of guy that was effortlessly likeable, would probably give you the shirt off his back if you asked. He could've said any number of names and Connor would've just nodded because Arlo would've happily bunked with the lot of them. The first person to have asked, he would've been more than happy to accommodate that request. It didn't matter much to Connor, he was comfortable anywhere. Who he bunked with wasn't something that phased him, and he hadn't pulled a short straw by any means.

Connor let out a huff of a laugh. He couldn't help but agree to that point, only Harper could've done something like this. "Even in death, she's still looking after us." That was just what she did, the easy way she cared about everyone was just second nature. As much as Connor had tried to keep in touch with his friends over the years, Harper truly had an uncanny and magnetic pull. "I can just imagine her," Connor murmured as he looked out at the bonfire and the people congregating around it. "Making sure everyone was warm enough, getting blankets and keeping everyone happy."

Being by the bonfire with Connor was probably one of the first times that he had actually started to feel relaxed since they had arrived in Stillwater. He felt like he didn't really need to put on some sort of act. If anyone was going to see through it, it was gonna be his best friend. Even if they hadn't seen one another in a while, Arlo was sure that Connor could still read him like a book. "Oh shit, I didn't even think about it." Arlo muttered, shaking his head. "I told Willa I'd bunk with her." He felt a little guilty about the fact that he hadn't even thought about Connor. But he knew that he probably would've been the same if it was the other way, and he hadn't thought about Willa.

"Exactly, yeah." Arlo nodded his head. He could picture it now, if things had been different, them all arriving at Stillwater and celebrate getting back together. If Jamie hadn't died, Arlo was sure that the friendship group would've stayed together. A part of him even thought that they wouldn't be here, remembering Harper. She would be there with them. He nodded his head though, as Connor continued. "Should've known that it would be her who would make it happen, though." He shrugged. "Don't think any of the rest of us would've managed it." Arlo hoped to change that, though. He wanted to change it. He didn't want to leave Stillwater and leave his friends behind again.

[foolhcrdvs]

where: the front porch when: 01 / 10 / 2025, 5:37pm who: connor + @pxppymcguinness

Someone, and he couldn't remember who that someone was, had suggested a bonfire for later that night. A sound idea, considering how cold it was. Who could resist a good bonfire? Not many people, however they could resist being the ones to go fetch the wood needed. He volunteered to be one of the helpers, partly because he wanted to help but mostly because if he wasn't going to do it, who would? Julian?

He had wanted to get it sorted before it got really dark, so he shrugged his jacket on and exited the front door. Blame it on a number of things but Connor was a bit distracted as he left the cabin and didn't notice the person who was coming from the opposite direction until he bumped into them.

"Sorry." he said as he instinctively put a hand out to steady the other person before getting a good look at them. As soon as he did, he wished he had just stayed inside. Poppy. He knew she would be here and he had done a decent enough job at avoiding her so far (easy with twenty people and even more rooms to disappear into). Not well enough though. "Sorry." he repeated, not knowing what else to say.

"Are you okay? I didn't mean to- I'm just off getting wood for the bonfire."

[foolhcrdvs]

What a day. Between waking up on what could possibly be the thinnest pillows in the world to calling his mother to let her know that he was about to make the drive and that yes, he was okay, he promised, and trying to avoid saying anything that would make her cry to everything else going on; Connor would categorize this day as not a particularly good one. One silver lining, however weak, was seeing old friends. He couldn't count how many times they had all mentioned that they wished it were under better circumstances, and they were preaching to the choir. However, hearing the same thing again and again was starting to get on his nerves and he needed an escape.

Ducking out to the balcony, he stopped short when he realised someone else had the same idea he did. Then, he recognized Dakota and figured he may as well stay. "Nah, I'm okay." Connor replied as he settled down next to her. He lifted his beer to his lips and took a sip before continuing. "Probably shouldn't mix. Not with tomorrow being so important." He wasn't going to do anything that could potentially ruin the day to honour Harper.

𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 : the balcony.

𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 : 01 / 10 / 2025 , 7:34 p.m.

𝘸𝘩𝘰 : dakota & anyone

𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴 : 2 / 4.

💨 : in,  out.  in,  out.  inhale,  exhale.  we're  they  really  here?  back  in  this  place  where  they  had  lost  their  fearless  leader?  jamie had been the  glue  that  held  all  of  them  together  back  when  they  had  been  too  young  to  really  savor  the  moments  of  their  youth.  dakota  had  arrived  hours  ago,  the  familiar  feeling  of  lake  stillwater  settling  into  her  bones.  here again, dealing with another loss. she's  surprised  she's  lasted  this  long  before  sneaking  out  to smoke on  the  balcony  overlooking  the  unsettling  darkness  of  lake  stillwater. ❝   harper...   ❞ she breathes out a sigh. her  attention  is  focused  on  the  stars  above  them  though,  marveling  in  the  sheer  amount  of  them  she  could  see  tonight  as  she  takes  a  hit  off  the  hand  -  rolled  joint  she's  just  lit  up.  after  a  few  minutes  she  hears  the  balcony  door  slide  open  as  she  tugs  her  parka  closer  around  her,  attempting  to  keep  in  some  of  her  body  heat.  ❝   you  caught  me.   ❞  a  lazy  half - hearted smile ( it feels wrong to smile )  and  heavily  lidded  eyes  still  stare  up  at  the  shimmering  stars  above  them.  ❝   want  some?   ❞ she offers, not quite sure who she's offering to yet, she can't seem to tear her attention away from the stars.

[foolhcrdvs]

After an uncomfortable drive and being met with an awful, musty smell as he entered his bedroom, all Connor wanted to do was stretch his legs and get some fresh air. He had greeted some of his old friends on the way in and there would be time for that later, but he needed a second to collect himself. It wasn't like him at all, the need for some peace and quiet, but nothing about this past week had been normal. He cracked open his bedroom window, hoping to let some fresh air in, grabbed the keys for his rental car and headed back out into the cold. In his mind, he was heading to unpack the supplies he had brought with him, but as soon as he exited front door, bouncing down the steps, he took a sharp turn in the opposite direction and kept walking. His feet knew where they were going before his brain caught up, and once it had, it realised that someone had the same idea as he.

On some instinctual level, he knew who it was, the little guy that Jamie and Harper had promised was 'a great person, if you just gave him a chance'. However, with his own grief, mixed with being there for his parents who felt like they themselves had lost a child and to coming back to this place? Connor didn't have the energy to dive into his memories to conjure up the name of someone he never cared for anyways. "Chill bro, it's all good." He said, holding his hands up in surrender before stuffing them in his jacket pockets. "I'm just getting some fresh air. What are you doing all the way out here?"

where: near lake stillwater, close enough to see it but not to be near it when: 01 / 10 / 2025 , 3:15pm who: remy & anyone

they were here for harper, but he couldn't be here without remembering jamie. everything that he had done for him, how remy had never had a chance to thank him; just thinking about it formed a lump in his throat that he wished would disappear. a few friendly faces had eased his anxieties a little, but they still ran rampant around his mind. he didn't feel like he belonged here, in this group. jamie and harper would've found a way for him to fit in. it was one trip, then everyone could forget who he was again and he could go back to his life in deluth.

he could see the dock and the boathouse from his little vantage point, sat with journal propped open on his knees as he wrote about how being here made him feel, and made small sketches underneath the words. hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end, and his head whipped around as he closed his journal with a thump. "you scared the shit out of me." he sighed, running a hand through his hair as he turned back to look at the lake. "sorry i didn't think anyone would come here. i can leave, if you'd prefer to be alone."

[foolhcrdvs]

Between the heat from the fire all but singeing his eyebrows off and his blood being warmed by the beer he was nursing, Connor couldn't explain the chill he couldn't shake. If he was asked, he'd probably chalk it down to the weirdness of being back, nothing to do with the numb feeling that had permeated through him the past week. Honestly, if he was asked, he'd laugh and make a joke saying that he didn't need the extra layers or the fire, he was hot enough on his own. He knew if he made that joke, at least one person would laugh, the one who always had his back. Even though they hadn't seen each other in a while, he still considered Arlo to be his best friend. "I was asking who you're bunking with. Would've been nice to get a heads up before I had to pick a random room."

He shot his friend an easy smile so Arlo knew he wasn't really mad. Connor didn't think he could ever get mad at him. He especially couldn't blame him for being scatterbrained - if there was ever a time for it to be excusable, this was the time. "I get you. It's good to catch up but you wish it were under better circumstances." He paused, took a sip of his drink. "She would've loved this. She deserved to be able to see it happen. All of us together again." Arlo didn't have to worry about being a downer, Connor was doing plenty fine on his own.

for @foolhcrdvs

Now that the awkwardness of the initial re introductions to some of the group were done, Arlo felt like he could relax a little. It was hard, though. The reason why they were all there was ever present on his mind. harper. His sweet, wonderful friend. she wasn't there. And Arlo had been struggling to properly get his head wrapped around all of that.

He sat up a little straighter as he stared into the fire, Connor to his left. Arlo wasn't particularly sure what was last said - he hadn't been paying attention, if he was completely honest. His thoughts had drifted. "God, this is so weird, don't you think?" Arlo questioned. "I mean, i'm - glad doesn't seem like the right word. it's good to see everyone but.." He shook his head a little, trying to snap himself out of it. "Sorry. Don't want to be a downer already." He chuckled.

He ran a hand through his hair and turned to look at Connor properly, trying to push Harper to the back of his mind. At least for right now, anyway. "What were you saying? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." He gave a wry smile to his friend, hoping he wouldn't mind too much.

[foolhcrdvs]

💎          »        does    your    character    feel    they    have    passed    up    chances    that    they    presently    regret    ?    describe    what    they    were    .

connor is of the philosophy that to live a happy life, one should have no regrets. of course, that's easier said than done. if he truly thinks back on his choices, he believes he seized every opportunity he was offered. however, if he's being honest with himself (spoiler alert: he's not) he knows there are opportunities he missed because he didn't go looking for them. he was given chances to accomplish things and he took them but he never sought out anything more. maybe if he had, he would've travelled more and seen new sights. maybe he would've made different career moves and felt like he was up to the challenge of coaching kids. maybe he would've been happier. however there's no use dwelling on his past choices except for the first stillwater trip