#sara.chey1

[sarayoon]

— SETTING: haunted acres ; oct 27th — AVAILABILITY: closed starter for CHEYENNE O'HARA | ( @cheyohara )

With Hanbin's official birthday behind her Sara felt like she could allow herself to enjoy some grown-up fun at the pumpkin farm while her child remained at home with the nanny. The short-haired brunette held the cup of apple cider tightly in her hands, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she watched the entrance of the so-called haunted mansion.

Her light yellow Converse shoes covered her feet as she rocked back and forth, debating whether or not she should go in. As a lover of true crime, she could see how this could end up badly for her, but at the same time, haunted houses had nothing to do with true crime and everything to do with messing with people's imagination, right?

Her fingertips tapped lightly on the plastic cup in her hands when someone stopped beside her. "Are you thinking about going in?" She asked the other, looking at the beautiful woman she's seen at the pumpkin patch with Max a few days ago. "Need a haunted mansion buddy?"

[sarayoon]

Sara had loved the high-tops once. She remembered traveling to South Korea with at least three extra pairs in her luggage, but those had stayed in another country... in another life. Those had become part of the person she'd lost to be accepted by yet another family who didn't want her. She didn't know if the shoes indeed hurt her ankles or if it had been some sort of lie she had chosen to tell herself in order to make things more bearable.

"I know... What a sad life." Sara let out a dramatic sigh, fingers running through her short strands to add to the dramaticism of things. "Why was I born with such sensitive feet?" She threw one hand up in jest, before letting her little scene end in a small chuckle. "Jokes aside though, I like the low tops more now. I get to wear them to work, and pretty much anywhere, so it's good. You should see the amount of pairs I have at home. It's an actual problem." Sara added a chuckle to her words.

How huge of a fan of dark mysteries and true crime she was? Well, enough to have her life swallowed by some series, and enough to have her start working on a criminal webtoon, too. A little way too gory for most people, especially the ones that knew her to be so sweet, but it had been a nice outlet for Sara... to focus on her art again, even if in the form of illustrations of a webtoon.

"Oof, am I in the presence of another true crime lover, though? Because I feel like it would take one to know one." Still, she smiled. As their conversation progressed and names were exchanged, Sara would find out that Max was right... that they would get along, she and Chey. "I don't think I've ever stopped by after Halloween celebrations ended." She countered, thinking about when was the last time she'd been there outside of any fall or Halloween celebrations. "Which, is another point to what I was telling you about. It would be too easy to hide a body in there, don't you think? People don't really come here outside of Halloween."

Sara had never gone exploring like that. In fact, she would always leave the exploring to Quinn. She had always been used to standing in the back while her sister led the room, which, would often mean that she would come home with either good or bad experiences from her explorations... and it was up to Sara to pick up the pieces and put Quinn back together. It made her grow cautious of the world around her. It made her miss out on some opportunities.

"Can't say that I have." The short-haired woman shook her head at her current companion. "But there's always a first time for everything, isn't there?" Maybe Quinn not being there was a good thing. Maybe it would help Sara stand up on her two feet. Or at least, that's what she wanted to tell herself. That's what she wanted to convince herself of. "Are you saying we should go exploring?"

Once names were finally exchanged, Sara couldn't help but to feel a pang in her chest. So this was Chey. Beautiful, lovely and so full of light. Of course, Max would think Sara would like her. And it stung a bit to know that he was right, because it made Sara feel even smaller in comparison. This was the source of the smile she had seen a few days ago, when she had been to the pumpkin patch with her son and Parker.

"Max's friend!" She smiled still, not letting the demons in her head ruin this day for her, because they were telling her that friend didn't quite cut it. Sara could hear her sister's voice in the back of her head, telling her that women shouldn't be competing among themselves for the care of men. Yes, she knew that much... It was a lost battle. There was no competition.

"I've heard about you. Next time I see him, I'll tell him he was right. That we would get along." With that, she linked her free arm to Chey's and then motioned her head towards the entrance. "Let's go. No punching. I won't let that happen." / @cheyohara

While the woman rocked back and forth on her feet, Chey was attempting to decipher if she was more envious of the shade of Chucks the other was sporting or of the cup of hot apple cider she held in her hands. Typically the professor preferred her cider to be of the hard variety but the seasonal favorite the other was using to keep warm smelled fantastic.

Hazel then shifted to her own Converse clad feet as a smile pulled at her lips. "Thank you," the coffee drinker said easily, still locked in momentary admiration of her shoe choice.

"Really— they do?" A crease wrinkled her brow as her gaze panned to the woman at her side. "These are so flexible," Chey commented as she shifted around in her shoes. "Well, that's unfortunate. Apparently Chucks are no better than Reeboks in that department then. The low tops are such a vibe though, I dig that."

The confession that followed the pronouncement of courage widened the brunette's expression in nothing more or less than surprise that faded into interest piqued. "That so?" Chey sipped her hot coffee, appreciating the way it warmed her, "I mean— how huge? I'd be inclined to agree if it weren't set up as a spectacle to give people a good scare. Have you ever passed by this place any other time of year?" Specifically, the professor was thinking deeper into the dark mystique of winter. Or even late fall would work.

Clearly, Chey too had gone over similar thoughts. She was the type of woman that spent evenings winding down to true crime documentaries. Some of which she'd moved away from lately as she and Max usually curled up on the couch to movies before they were taken by slumber.

"You know— you'd be fun to explore abandoned places with," the brunette complimented. What came to mind was how much her haunted house companion would dive into the mystery of a place. "Have you ever done that?"

A moment after her haunted house partner moved up toward the entry, Chey followed and sipped her coffee another time. Part of her felt as though she needed to drink it down a bit in the chance that a jump scare got her good enough to toss the hot liquid at someone. These things made her a little anxious. People jumping out at her took Chey on a trip down memory lane that wasn't so pleasant.

"We might become bonded by what we see and experience so good call," with a wink, the professor gently nudged the beautiful woman now known to be Sara. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Chey. I'll tell you now, I've got the courage to give it a go but please don't let me punch anyone." / @sarayoon

[sarayoon]

Sara was about to answer the other's question when that compliment stopped her from doing so and prompted the short-haired woman to glance at her own shoes. There was a smile on her lips as she rocked back and forth on her feet for a brief moment, before returning her attention to the beautiful hazel-eyed brunette. "Thank you." She replied gracefully. "Yours are lovely, too, by the way. I wish high-tops didn't hurt my ankles as much as they do, though." She almost pouted at the thought. The way her lips twitched up indicated that she was about to do so, but stopped herself as it would've seemed a little childish to strangers.

Not to mention that, since Sara always took her shoes off upon coming home, regular Converse shoes or Vans shoes were easier to do so. And there was also the child factor. She would always take Converse or Vans shoes over anything else because they were more comfortable to wear when running after the little tornado she had at home.

"But to answer your question, I am working up the courage." She chuckled softly, bringing up the cup of apple cider up to her lips and taking a sip from the warm liquid. "Mostly because I'm a huge fan of true crime, and this seems like a great place for murder, if you ask me." Oops... was it too soon to let her dark tastes come out? At least she wasn't talking about all the dark romance she would read in public while keeping the straightest face ever, right? "I mean, a dark place with lots of spots to hide a body that would probably only be found near the next Halloween? Oof..." She chuckled nervously. "But you seem like a good haunted mansion buddy, so let's go in."

With a decisive nod, Sara then motioned her head towards the door and stepped closer to the entrance, then waiting for Chey to join her so she could link arms with her current companion. "I'm Sara, by the way. I figured we should know each other's names if we're going on this adventure together." / @cheyohara

In many ways Cheyenne O’Hara was a walking contradiction and conundrum all in one. While her career was centered around theology, both as a professor and podcast host, she wasn’t a religious person herself. The brunette had simply made a career out of something that fascinated her, something that had sent her down the rabbit hole of in the quest for answers. While much of the supernatural seemed mythical, the professor certainly believed in ghosts and hauntings.

This particular setup though was for entertainment. A thought that had filled her conscious mind as she approached the haunted mansion. When she and Max had been at the pumpkin patch earlier in the week, participating in the pumpkin carving contest, there had been a lot of talk about this particular spooky house. Rather than fearful, Chey was intrigued, and perhaps even a bit excited to test her mettle. 

Comfy in an oversized, cozy sweater and a pair of distressed vintage jeans, her own high top Converse brought her to a halt with a hot coffee in hand next to someone likely doing something similar. “Definitely,” Chey affirmed and glanced at the woman with the great cut. “Are you working up the courage yourself or are you waiting on company?"

Briefly, her hazel gaze drifted from the inviting cup of cider down to the woman’s shoes. When their eyes met again, a compliment came pouring out at her good taste— “love your shoes.” Chey’s only hesitation was that these themed events usually had someone jumping out at you or even grabbing you, and her worry was how she’d react to that. “Yeah, let’s do it.” / @sarayoon