"You're Welcome," She Said Softly, "I Actually Picked This Up At What's The Tea Recently. Their Tea Is

"Sentences with technically don't usually end well," she murmured, knowing 'but' was coming. Leyla chose to live with roommates, so she had expected they might actually want to be her friend. It didn't make it easy for her to let people in, feeling like that always came with a big sign that said 'I'm broken, please find out why.' With a sigh and only a hint of a smile, she set her book aside. "Okay," she relented, placing her hat down on her chair to hold it before putting her hair in a low ponytail. "I'll play frisbee with you if you don't laugh when I'm bad at it."

"I mean, technically it is a beach activity." One she could see herself doing on a more quiet day, but on a day like today, she preferred more lively activities. "But there are a few more fun things to do. Maybe we should build a sandcastle? Or wait no- how about we toss a frisbee around?" she suggested, with a grin. She knew Leyla often kept to herself, but it wouldn't stop Aisha from trying to get her to hang out with her. She'd win her over and befriend her, eventually.

FIONA PALOMO as SOFIA outer banks season 3

Leyla had decided to set up a booth at Creek Fest to let the town sample some Fall flavors she'd created. It was a great way to get some good publicity and feedback for her drinks. Stopping into the Supply Sack to grab a few things for the signs she needed for the booth, she tried to be in and out but she was a bit dazzled by all the options in here. It was truly a hobby paradise. A voice she recognized caused her to pause, but this time the familarity didn't make her what to take a running leap into the ocean. "Mills?!" She exclaimed as she turned around.

who: cemile & open (1/3) [ @merrock ]

where: the supply shack

Cemile wasn't artistic in any way. But she'd begrudgingly go to the craft store to pick up some paints for her students. They'd been excited about their upcoming performance and wanted to make posters, and she had a bit of a soft spot for them, so she found herself here. Unfortunately, she didn't know what kind of paint to buy. After all, if she brought something that stained, she'd be hearing from their parents, and that was the last thing she wanted. So she stood in the aisle, glancing at her options, when she noticed someone nearby. "Excuse me?" she spoke up, hoping to catch their attention. "Do you think puffy paint would work for posters, or is there a better option?"

It was a bit surprising how popular the place already seemed to be getting--though not a bad surprise at all. "Sorry for the wait," Leyla apologized quickly, then needing about half a second for her brain to completely reboot. Women this beautiful did not exist in real life and they certainly weren't in random small towns in Maine asking for a smoothie...and yet... "Good choice," she replied, "it may not be as sweet as some of our other smoothies, but it's still delicious and has a ton of health benefits--and in my opinion, is a great coffee alternative. What's ahead of you in the day that calls for an energy boost?"

For once, Valentina was being patient. Her forearms laying on the counter, she waited for the woman to come and take her order. When she approached, Val welcomed her with a grin, leaning a tiny bit. "I'm going to trust you," she answered. "So let's try the smoothie. I could need that kind of energy boost." Which was not an usual thing from Valentina, who tended to be an human dynamo.

"And you wonder how he ever got that idea? Because absolutely no one could ever have told him that," Leyla joked, before her smile softened at the compliment, "there's enough negativity in the world, I wanted a place where that...wasn't."

"I can see it," she said, "you look like the kind of girl I'd imagine doing that sort of thing." She meant that in the best way. The girl just radiated sunshine and love for animals, like the people who were popular in high school but you couldn't possibly hate them for it because they were so genuinely kind. She laughed, "no one's favorite smell, but it comes with the territory. I find all the smells comforting in a weird way, good and bad, it's just...like a core memory or something."

"Oh God, yeah!" she scoffed, shaking her head, "and it's always one of those men who thinks that he's god's gift to women, and he just cannot understand why you don't want anything to do with him," she rolled her eyes, "kind of sad. But having a safe space, a happy space, that's great. So kudos to you for creatig it!"

"Always," she smiled, gesturing around the barn, "I grew up riding here. I did dressage and jumping for most of my childhood." A real, proper equestrian, with her blonde hair braided neatly down her neck, boots polished and shined. As a kid and teenager, Livvy had just always been known as a horse girl. "Every now and then, you see someone wandering around who thought they wanted a farm experience… until they smelled the manure," she laughed.

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING (2022) dir. Olivia Newman

"Maybe a bit of a variety. Like an 80's, 90's and today sort of experience?" She suggested, thinking then everyone would experience some songs that they liked. Setting the flight down in front of him, she listed them off, "blackberry, strawberry basil, blue lagoon, watermelon lime." She then laughed as she addressed his previous statement, "I'm more than fine with no country."

"That's gonna be based on who you asked. I say, your business, you set the vibe." Alec could make just about anything work, as long as it only required his voice and a guitar, it would work. "Just no country, we already have a western bar in town."

It was important to Leyla to be here, to give back. She had never been good at receiving, but giving came easy. Besides, she'd get to be with horses, what could possibly be wrong about that? Nowadays, she often preferred animals to people.

"Really? That's great," she said as the woman confirmed they were always looking. It perked her up a bit as she patiently waited for the application. "I also own Mawk Tales, down by the coast, so if you ever want to do any sort of fundraiser, let me know," she offered, before gratefully accepting the clipboard. "How long have you been doing this?" She asked as she started on the form.

As much as Livvy loved working as a physical therapist, she enjoyed her work with the horses even more. Getting to watch children get up on a horse's back for the first time, riding around a little arena, being led by the volunteers, going out on trail rides when they had the experience and could handle it; every day, she went home feeling good abotu what she did. That wasn't always something she could say about her time in the office.

"Oh!" she looked up from where she had been polishing a saddle, buffing and buffing at the leather to make it look like new again, and breaking into a smile. "We're always looking or volunteers, actually. As for applications, uhm, give me one second," she set the saddle aside, and scampered into the office, snatching a piece of paper out of one of the drawers and attaching it to a clipboard, turning to make her way back out into the aisle. "Here we are!"

"Oh good because I do," Leyla admitted, not in a rude way--well, maybe sometimes in a rude way. Just not aloud. She also didn't have the most faith in people, so maybe that was part of it. "I feel oddly at peace with them, there is something about them, which is probably why equine therapy is a thing, I guess." Her interest piqued as the woman beside her brought up dressage. "I always thought that much be such fun. Nostalgic? So you don't compete anymore?"

"You can always judge for taste," Elise said, a bit cheeky. She had cultivated an image for herself that veered just an ounce into snobby territory, but never too far. "Yeah, it's an awesome place, and an awesome opportunity. They're the coolest animals out there, and Harmony Healers does such a good job." She patted the horse's neck. "We do, when we can. We both did dressage growing up, so it's kinda nostalgic."

““I think I wait for people to hurt me,” she said quietly, “and when they do I feel a certain smugness at being right. And, after that, I just feel pain.”

— Sue Zhao (via blossomfully)