☆

[dianaxalvarez]

smatua‌:

Solomon flashed a quick grin at Diana and replied, “Thanks. I like to think so, but it’s nice to hear it from someone else.” He held back a branch for Diana to get through and explained, “Actually, there’s an old trestle track around here too, but it’s been out of use for a while. Not sure when, but it all looks super old. You’ll see it.”

Diana ducked under the branch with a grateful nod of thanks towards Soloman, waiting for him to take the lead once more before continuing to follow him. “That all sounds pretty awesome. I can’t believe I didn’t know about all of this before,” she mused. She hadn’t been in Cape Hazel for long, and discovering little local secrets like this was part of what she enjoyed the most about being somewhere new.

[dianaxalvarez]

beanottrixie‌:

“well, that sounds about right.” bea chuckled softly, shaking diana’s hand. “it’s nice to meet you, too. when are you done with your residency?” she asked curiously - she had always found intrigue in the world of hospitals, though knew she could never actually work in one. her stay after her 20th birthday had been more than long enough for her, and she was more than happy to avoid them for the most part.

“It’s nice to know I’m acting the part already,” Diana chuckled. She withdrew her hand, placing it in her pocket. “I have two years left. Then I have to do my fellowship. Every time I think about it, I wonder if it’s worth it,” she joked. There was no truth to her words. She loved what she did, and there wasn’t anything else she would rather be doing. “What about you? Do you work, study...?” she questioned. 

[dianaxalvarez]

danxfowler‌:

“yeah, looks awesome,” daniel replies. he takes a step back to look around the play room. though the children haven’t yet arrived, he already feels a sense of accomplishment. it’s a simple, definitely not the most extravagant decorations - he brought some extra ones himself - but he hopes that the children will have fun anyway. he has fond memories of this time as a kid, his parents and his sister making sure that halloween never went unnoticed. it’s something he failed to cherish while he was a teen, however now, in his thirties, he can’t appreciate it more. so he’s happy to share some of the spook and the magic with these children who can’t celebrate the holiday otherwise. excited, even. one might say he’s doing it more for herself than for the kids, seeing as he’s smiling brightly and dressed in an obnoxious dragon onesie. he nods at diana and lifts the bag he brought with him. “yep! though, really, you did a great job. they’re gonna love it,”

“Thank you,” Diana brightened. Being around the children’s ward brought back a lot of memories for her. It hadn’t been easy, growing up with a sick sister, but they had made the best of it as much as they could, and now it was her turn to pass on that slice of normalcy to other children in the same situation. It was a small thing, the celebrations they had planned, but it was enough to bring some light and life to the hospital. She glanced at Daniel, unable to suppress a small chuckle at his attire. “You look great, by the way. Unfortunately I’m still on the clock, so my costume isn’t quite as adorable,” she gestured to her scrubs. “Let me go and round the up. I’ll be right back,” she said, stepping out for a moment and returning shortly with a gaggle of young patients in tow.

[dianaxalvarez]

beanottrixie‌:

bea nodded her thanks, rocking a little on the bench. “are you a nurse or somethin’? you talk like my dad - he’s a doctor.” turning her head, she stuck out a hand and offered a tired half-smile. “i’m bea, by the way. it’s nice to meet you. and thank you for sitting with me.” she said softly.

Diana let out a quiet chuckle, nodding her head. “I’m a doctor too. Or I will be, soon. I’m still in my residency. That’s probably why your dad and I have so much in common,” she said, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. A smile crossed her face, small but sincere. “Diana. It’s lovely to meet you, Bea, and entirely my pleasure.” 

[dianaxalvarez]

smatua‌:

Solomon grinned when Diana agreed to go to the park right now. He thrived in these situations, scrambling aimlessly around town and getting into whatever was most interesting in the moment. He nodded his head down the block and said, “Come on, I know a shortcut. And I know all the secret spots in the park. Like there’s this abandoned train caboose just there, on the outskirts.”

Diana wasn’t the spontaneous type. Her life had been a relatively sheltered one, with little capacity for adventure until she headed to college. Going to the local park may not have been the most exciting endeavour, but it still felt like it to her. “You’re a good person to know, Solomon,” she said with a grin, following him down his shortcut. “Really? That’s crazy. How did it get there? Where’s the nearest track?” 

[dianaxalvarez]

rvetheday‌:

sawyer offered diana a grin and a sneaky fist-bump as they learned that cookie dough was on the menu, his excitement bubbling as the store clerk set off to get them some. already he was forgetting what had had him in such a foul mood not even thirty minutes ago, and he was sure he could attribute at least 90% of that improvement to diana’s company. the other 10% was absolutely pure cookie dough, though. he thanked the clerk when they came back with their order, quickly paying before diana could. “where would you like to munch on this beauty?” he asked, big smile and all.

Diana couldn’t help but chuckle as she bumped her fist against his. “You don’t have to pay for me. Here,” she pulled out her purse, fumbling for change to cover her half. His mood seemed to have improved, and she was grateful for that. She was too soft for her own good, going out of her way to provide support for anybody who needed it but she couldn’t deny that actually managing to help somebody was a great feeling. “Normally I’d say we could eat by the beach so we can watch the ocean, but I think it might be a little chilly. Unless you want to sit in my car? Or do you have a better idea?”

[dianaxalvarez]

smatua‌:

“Well, I guess we’ll have to figure out another way to make our own fun,” Solomon flashed Diana a smile as they continued to walk through town. “Nah, it’s all right. You can’t bring the mood down, I’m always thinking about capitalism. We should go to the park right now, though. There’s no time like the present, right?” He opened his arms to her, his eyebrows raised, almost like a challenge. “I know all the sights, I could be your tour guide.”

“I’m sure we can think of something, two well-educated people like ourselves,” Diana teased. She put her hands in her pockets, a casual gesture. “Unfortunately there’s are no real, solid alternatives. In this country, at least. We could always run away to China or Cuba, if they’ll have us,” she pointed out. Her eyes widened when he offered to take her to the park, but she nodded quickly. “I would love that. Thank you so much,” she said, gratefully.

[dianaxalvarez]

beanottrixie‌:

bea watched as the other woman sat down and sighed, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. “my dad says the same thing. ‘it’s worse to bottle it all up, bea, have a good cry and let it all out.’” she said, adopting a deeper tone of voice. she glanced at the other woman again and shook her head. “maybe just.. sit with me. if you don’t have anything to do or whatever, i don’t wanna like, distract you from your day.”

 Diana wanted to put her arms around the blonde and pull her into a tight hug. She had a soft heart and a kind soul, and seeing somebody else suffer hurt. She managed to keep her hands to herself, hoping that keeping her company and listening to what she had to say would be enough to comfort her. “That works for some people. There is no right or wrong way to handle anxiety. What is a healthy way to cope for me may not work for you and visa versa,” she pointed out. At the request, she nodded. “I don’t mind. My schedule is pretty open right now. I can stay for a bit.” 

[dianaxalvarez]

“Do you think it looks okay?” Diana bit her lip, turning to Dan for reassurance. She had adorned the play room in the children’s wing of the hospital for their planned Halloween party with decorations she had picked up from the dollar store, and her options had been fairly limited. Shiny, paper bats hung from the ceiling, and orange and black paper chains were draped all over the place. Paper cups and plates with dancing skeletons and grinning pumpkins printed on them were neatly stacked, ready for the kids to join them for the celebrations. “I checked the hospital’s decoration box, but it was mostly dented baubles and molting tinsel. Do you think you can spruce things up a bit while I gather up the kids?”

@danxfowler

[dianaxalvarez]

beanottrixie‌:

bea glanced up when she felt the tap on her shoulder, sniffing a bit. “i’m.. uh. not really, i guess.” she said quietly. “i’m just.. overwhelmed, i guess. i almost had a panic attack inside which probably like, didn’t help my case, but-” she stopped herself, shaking her head. “sorry - you didn’t ask for a whole in depth rundown of how i’m doing.”

Diana clicked her tongue, sympathetically. She wasn’t health professional, but her general medical training had left her with some knowledge in the area, and her ears pricked up when the girl mentioned panic attacks. “No, it’s absolutely fine. Sometimes it’s best to just let it out. I don’t mind.” She hesitated, before taking a seat on the bench next to her. “Is there anything I can do to help you?” she asked, eyes wide with concern and brows furrowed. 

[beanottrixie]

bea’s not entirely sure how long she’s been sitting on the bench outside the police station. she went in for her interrogation, came out, sat down, and she’s been there since. it could be just a few minutes, or it could be a few hours. judging from the darkening sky, it’s been a few hours. she guesses she should get up and go home - or at least, go somewhere other than in front of the police station. but the only other place she’d usually go would’ve been the diner, and that’s not even there anymore. so she sits where she is, feeling tears well in her eyes as she thinks over the whole situation.

[dianaxalvarez]

Diana emerged from the police station. The interrogation hadn’t been too bad- she had been on shift at the hospital around the time of Hope’s death, and that had ruled her out pretty quickly, but it was still a draining process, and the stress showed in her face. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one feeling it. The blonde had been there when Diana entered the station, and remained there now. She could have walked by, but it just wasn’t in her nature. Instead, she drew closer, reaching out to tap her shoulder gently. “Excuse me?” she said, softly. “Are you okay?” 

[dianaxalvarez]

smatua‌:

“So I shouldn’t invite you on any cross-country road trips any time soon. Got it,” Solomon chuckled while his head bobbed in a gentle nod. “I wasn’t too far off, actually. I was just in Portland, which is just, like, 30 minutes away. It’s definitely a lot smaller, but I kind of like it. Close to a lot of nature too, which is always a plus in my book. And thanks for the try, but I think that might be even worse to think about. There’s still so long until I can retire. I’m gonna lose out on so much sleep.”

“I wouldn’t be the best road trip partner, I’m afraid. I get angsty when I’m in a car for too long,” Diana said with a sloping grin. “Portland isn’t far at all. At least you’re close enough that you can visit whenever you’d like, but far enough away to build a life on your own terms. A good distance, really,” she mused. “It truly is a beautiful place to live. I keep meaning to head down to Hazel River Park, but I can never seem to find the time. Sorry to have brought the mood down. At least you have the weekend, right?” 

[dianaxalvarez]

rvetheday‌:

“good idea. i’m sure we could talk whoever’s working into giving us some if it’s, like, not officially on the menu,” sawyer said with a grin, taking the lead and heading into the bakery, a soft ding letting the clerk know they were there. with a false sense of confidence, sawyer offered the clerk a grin, asking so kindly if they’d be able to grab some cookie dough for a light snack, fingers crossed behind his back for both his and diana’s sake.

“Perhaps. Hopefully you’re more of a charmer than I am, because I don’t think I’m quite charismatic enough to sweet talk anybody into anything,” Diana teased. She saunted to the bakery counter, waiting with almost baited breath for their response. As soon as they confirmed cookie dough was on the menu, she turned to Sawyer with a wide grin. “See? everything seems to be going our way today, doesn’t it?”

[dianaxalvarez]

rvetheday‌:

sawyer’s grin lit up when diana suggested grabbing some cookie dough to munch on. though his mother always warned him against it, all forms of cookie dough was a little bit of a weakness for him, food poisoning be damned. “that sounds freakin’ amazing,” he said, bouncing on the balls of his feet a little, “does the bakery do cookie dough or do we gotta make a trip to the grocery store?”

Diana thought for a moment. She had never actually bought cookie dough from the bakery before, nor could she remember seeing it on the menu, but she was sure they must serve it. “Shall we try the bakery? It’ll feel more like a treat that way. Grocery-bought cookie dough just isn’t the same, if you ask me.” 

[dianaxalvarez]

smatua‌:

“Well, to be fair, it’s like…a country away. Nothing to scoff at,” Solomon quipped, tilting his head at her pleasantly. His walk was smooth, but there was a bounce in his voice as he put up his impish front for Diana. “Yeah, I’m already sick of waking up before noon every day, and I’ve only been working for, like, what? A few months? I guess this is my life now, huh?”

“I wouldn’t want to drive it, put it that way,” Diana shrugged. Even trying to get a flight home was a pain, and something she avoided at all costs. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see her family. On the contrary, she missed them a lot, but travelling stressed her out more than was necessary, and it was easiest to stay put. “What about you? Where were you before you came here?” She asked. “Unfortunately it is. The good news is, it only lasts until you retire. Then you can sleep in without a care in the world.” 

[nvnchalants]

flustered by recent developments, charlie did his best to focus on cleaning the table in front of him. everywhere he went, people were whispering about the crime, and frankly, he wished they would stop. forever the empathetic middle child, the news hit charlie particularly hard despite never actually interacting with this hope person. “oh– excuse me!” he cried out when he bumped into somebody as he turned to move on to another table.

[dianaxalvarez]

Diana couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so on edge. She wouldn’t have called Hope a friend, but they had been on their way to becoming so, and she had liked her. Recent events had left her shaken, and she kept finding herself drifting off into her own thoughts. She was in the middle of one of these dazes when she bumped into him, and jumped in surprise as they collided, jolting her out of her own head. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologised, grimacing a little in embarrassment. “Are you all right? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she fussed. 

[dianaxalvarez]

smatua‌:

“Where’s home for you?” he asked with a polite smile. Diana seemed grounded and pleasant, which was more than he could say for most of the people he had the misfortune of interacting with lately. It was a relief to just exist, and so peacefully, with someone right now. “Thanks. It is sort of a miracle I made it considering how many classes I skipped, but the bare minimum really paid off.” He joked. Sort of.

“Seattle. Feels like a world away,” Diana said. There were times when she missed her home and her family, but there was something to be said for packing up and starting fresh. To be somewhere where she could write her own story, and choose how much she let people know, was new territory, but she wasn’t complaining. It was a relief sometimes, as awful as that felt to think. “Well, college is probably the one time in your life where not showing up has minimum repercussions. May as well make the most of that while you can,” she chuckled.