While She Had Always Been Independent And Quite Happy To Do Things By Herself, Going To A Halloween Party

It had been one of those days. Zahra had stared at computer screen until her eyes ached, had fetched her blue light glasses, and had continued staring, the word count mocking her mercilessly as she wrote and then deleted sentences. Tempted to throw her laptop from a window, she had decided to leave her apartment for a few hours before causing any serious damage to her electronics. The lounge wouldn't normally have been her spot of choice, but Zahra had been desperate for a distraction. Someplace loud with a bunch of people she didn't know had seemed like the best option. Something to drown her thoughts.

She had stood in front of the free seat for a while, seemingly unable to just ask whether she could sit down. "Yes. Is this seat taken?" she asked with a nod.

Muse | Open starter | @bhqextras

It was late in the afternoon and Rhiannon had spent most of her day pent up in her home with her daughter. It was summer break for the almost nine year old and she'd normally be at camp but she wasn't feeling well today. Just because Willow is sick doesn't mean that Rhiannon's deadline will extend. After calling for a sitter for a few hours, she found herself at a lounge with a drink in one hand and a pen in the other, scribbling away in her notebook. The music and the alcohol had her creativity flowing. She was so into her work that she hadn't noticed someone approach her table. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there," she said, looking up at them with a smile. "Were you looking to sit?"

Zahra managed a brief smile as she glanced at the blonde. "I should ask that very same question before I check out this sort of a haul. But I guess reading is a huge part of my job, so I should prioritise it." Should being the operating word. She did read, quite a lot actually, but unfortunately most of it did not have anything to do with her research project. "I understand. Somehow getting books and thinking about them can be much more exciting than actually reading them. I guess we're all just spoiled for choice." She had always prided herself in being well-red and aware of all the new releases, but lately finding joy between the covers of a book had proven difficult. "Two books seems like a pretty sensible choice, though."

it was rare that Tavi had the time to read. Still, she always found them a nice little escape from the real world around her. She knew that many people found comfort in browsing bookstores for hours. There were books she bought too, her favorites lined her shelves at home, but for something like this, a book she might need to lay on the beach with friends for a few days, something simple, she always loved being in a library, a sanctuary for many, and the best public service by far. she's got two books, a little saucy romance, and a biography of a dancer she's been invested in lately, and for her even that feels like a lot, but then, oh. she compares it to the person outside, large ikea bag full of books on their shoulder. "no asking. well, maybe asking, just wondering how you find the time? I feel like my pile of books to read is neverending and truthfully, daunting." she admits, a sheepish smile on her face.

"They really should include a portion for late fees on research grants," she mumbled, wondering just how much cash she had funnelled to various library systems. While she would usually consider it money well-spent, her current state of annoyance and frustration made her wish she had done just about anything else with those hundreds of dollars. Still, there were bigger problems in the world and Zahra couldn't help but notice the shift in Ryan's mood. It was evident his work-life balance left something to be desired. "Oh? That bad?" she asked, wincing internally but hoping the look on her face didn't betray her. "Is there anything you can do about it?" She paused for a moment, nose crinkled up in irritation at herself. "I'm sure you've already gone through all your options. Sorry." She remained silent for a moment, not sure she wanted to shift the focus back to herself. "Not really," she admitted after a lengthy pause, "but I'm teaching a class in the fall. I guess that's fun."

—he smiled at the comment a little; turning to her when she responded to his query. “certainly not,” he agreed with a nod —frankly, those were a lot of books to pay any fees. Nodding a little at her response, he could agree. working had been his priority as of late. very wrongfully so. “same…” he muttered; work kept her busy and he was, in fact, keeping busy with work, rushing to complete a set amount of hours each week that were a lot more than his usual shifts, prior to the move. “I have and Neva is not happy about it…” he admitted, laughing a little, but it was a humorless sound. Neva was pissed, not just not happy. they made their way inside and his partner went further in to talk to the manager, while he accompanied Zahra towards the front desk. “have you been working on anything new?” he inquired.

where: outside of the new york public library open: to anyone!

A drawn-out sigh escaped Zahra's lips as she stared at the massive, blue Ikea storage bag filled with books to the point where it would be a miracle if the bag remained intact for the last few steps. It had become evident she would not be finishing - or even opening - most of them in time, and paying late fees for the lot didn't exactly appeal to her. So, there she stood, trying to steady her breathing before entering the building. Evidently she needed to invest in a gym membership if she were to start lugging dozens of unread books on a weekly basis.

Feeling someone's presence next to her, she glanced at them almost sheepishly. "Don't ask," she muttered before flashing a nervous smile, "please."

It was clear Zahra was itching to get out of the situation and forget all about it now that her breath had steadied and her arms didn't ache quite as much. He hadn't seem bothered to be helping her but she still felt embarrassed, her cheeks having turned a traitorous shade of red from more than just the physical activity.

"No need", she assured, shaking her head as she stood up hurriedly and pocketed her wallet with the library card in it. "I'll stop by to eat something." Zahra went to straighten her shirt before glancing at the man, managing a brief smile that didn't quite reach her dark eyes. "Thank you again. Uh, it was very nice of you."

Matt looked at the card in his hand and gave her a nod. "Zahra." he stated, slapping the card into his palm once. She didn't give him her name when he introduced himself but it was at least good to know it now. "I'll be right back then."

He smiled politely and picked the bag of books back up into his arms and disappeared further into the library, only to be back a few minutes later with a receipt and bottle of sweet lemonade he found on a vending machine. Matt offered it to her along with the card. "Take this for the road back."

"But wouldn't that be a beautiful way to go? Being flattered to death. That being said, I would very prefer if you were to stay alive." While making friends had always been somewhat of a daunting task to her, Zahra valued the friendships she had immensely. Yes, she still struggled to open up and share, but that didn't mean she actually wanted to push people away. She was making a conscious effort and luckily Vismaya seemed to appreciate it.

The undeniably delicious smell of the pizza reminded Zahra that while seeing Vismaya was definitely her main priority, she was also quite eager to eat. Having come to realize she hadn't remembered to do a real grocery shop in days, she had raided her snack cupboard earlier in the day, but the pizza in front of her certainly seemed far more appealing than the Goldfish and trail mix she had inhaled. Her head snapped up as Vismaya informed she would paying be paying for the evening. "No way. Can't allow it," she replied with a firm shake of her head. Her father had taught her many important life skills, and somehow fighting over the bill was certainly at the top of the list. Admittedly he was far more creative, often faking toilet breaks in order to pay when others least expected it. "But if you insist, you will have to let me pay for the next two times we go out to eat or have drinks," she added, not wanting to draw out the conversation when they were about to have a good time. Not that Zahra was all that eager to talk about herself.

"I'm okay. Having kind of a writer's block," she admitted with a sheepish smile, "but I'm sure it'll pass. Has happened before." It was true, she had struggled with inspiration before, but somehow this time felt different, more final in a way. "Honestly, haven't been doing anything too exciting stuff since I moved back. But I'm happy to be properly back in New York." That was at least true. "How are you? Hopefully your life is more thrilling than my current existence."

Few people made the cut of occupying Vismaya's extremely limited free time as of late, and Zahra would always be one of those people. Though, Vismaya didn't entirely consider her own company a treasure as of late, feeling like she had formed a habit of monopolizing the conversation just to talk about workplace fusses and, as always, her mother. However, tonight, she wanted to truly catch up with her friend, as she thought of Zahra often and fondly, and had a vested interest in the girl's wellbeing. "Z, I swear you are going to flatter me to death one day. My blood will be on your hands. My beautiful, beautiful blood," Vis teased, her nose scrunching as she giggled at her own lame joke. "Pizza is always the perfect place to start. And it's damn good, too." At that, Vis gingerly placed one of the small ceramic plates in front of her friend, and then helped herself to another slice. "So, firstly, order whatever you want, tonight is on me, and I'll be having no arguments about that, so, shh. Secondly, please tell me how you've been doing. I know I saw you a few weeks ago, but it still feels like it's been a full calendar year."

my body is NOT. a “”temple””….it is a CLOWN CAR, and NONE OF THESE BITCHES KNOW HOW 2 DRIVE

A sigh of relief. She wouldn't have dared to ask for help and was still eager to object, but there really was no way she would have managed on her own. Not when she was already beyond exhausted.

"Yes, attempt. Didn't get very far," she admitted, despondent. "Work stuff. I happened to be a bit overambitious when I checked them out." It was clearly and understatement and not something Zahra was particularly proud of. In the past she would have been able to make a considerable dent on her reading material, but lately the overdue fees and looming deadlines had not bee able to motivate her to work. "Thank you. I'm not sure how I got this far."

Henry was just heading into the library to try and do some research when he saw the younger woman practically lugging a huge tote bag into the building. Without thinking, he gently nudged her aside ever so slightly before picking it up with ease. "I saw you were having some trouble, so... I guess today's your lucky day, eh? Hopefully you're cool with me bringing it in for you." He chuckled as he grabbed the handle of the library door with ease, holding it open for the other. "Mercy... How does someone attempt to even read this much?"

Academia is cool and sexy until I’m expected to do work

Zahra was grateful Violet had reached out, mostly because she was evidently excited to see her, but also because it forced her to turn her attention to something less daunting than the pages of subpar writing she had been managed to produce in the last few weeks. Sitting down, she reached for the menu before letting out a sigh. "I guess that's adulthood in a nutshell. Can't imagine how people with big friend groups ever find the time to meet up." The idea of trying to find a day that worked for ten or so people sounded nothing short of hellish. "Anyway, how are you doing? It really has been a while."

Closed Starter for : @ofzahras

Location: Bluebird's

Violet had just taken a sip of water when she spotted her tall friend walk out onto the patio of the restaurant. She raised her arm up in a wave to get their attention. "Zahra darling, it's so good to see you. I feel like I've been so busy lately and I've missed hanging out with you. This place does eggs so perfectly, light and fluffy like you wouldn't believe." She said, catching a waiter's eye that they were ready to order drinks.