the rink is already buzzing by the time rowan steps inside, the familiar hum of montrouge wrapping around her like a second skin. january cold still clings to her jacket, breath fogging faintly as she pauses near the boards, eyes tracking the red cheetahs as they warm up on the ice. first game of the season. home ice. the kind of night this town lives for.
she leans her forearms against the railing, posture easy but her focus sharp, watching the boys cut tight turns and snap passes like they’ve been rehearsing this moment in their sleep. somewhere behind the bench, she knows her dad is pacing, running through lines and matchups with the same calm intensity he’s carried her whole life. the thought makes her smile despite herself.
rowan takes a sip from her drink and glances around, taking in the packed stands, familiar faces, new ones, the mix of red jerseys and hometown pride. “hawks always play like they’ve got something to prove,” she mutters, half to herself, half to anyone close enough to hear. “guess tonight we do too.”
she shifts her weight, knocking her shoulder lightly against the person beside her without much thought, an apologetic grin already forming. “sorry, crowd’s got me amped.” her eyes flick back to the ice as the lights dim slightly, anticipation crackling through the rink. “you here for the cheetahs, or just for the chaos?”
jostled among the thrum of spectators, it would be difficult for anyone to find a night like this boring. there's not a quiet area here. every corner is punctuated by the unmistkable thrum of the crowd. it's grown on her since being here - something that brings montrouge together, a chance to pause by familiar faces. before standing in the chaos of a jostling rinkside that threatens to blur every photo she'll get the chance to take, rowan's quiet focus on the cheetahs is a welcome respite from the atmosphere.
'ooh, you could cut the tension with a knife,' she quips, peering at rowan around a half-empty lemonade cup with raised brows. 'it's about setting intentions, right? start the season with a win. build momentum.' she moves from leaning back against the rails, turns to settle her elbows there instead as she faces towards the ice. she squints, pauses to study the bench. plenty of crossed arms, glances to study the other team. the nervousness isn't always so easy to hide. 'hmm, both? a shove or two can make for a good photo. but, there's lots of talent to showcase.' watching the cheetahs' warmup, a hand absentmindedly waves away rowan's apology. 'who do you think is worth watching tonight... in your expert opinion?'
do you know MAREN YATES ? SHE is that PHOTOGRAPHER that works at THE GAZETTE … no ? really ? i hear they are offbeat and instinctive but i’ve also seen them being exact and flighty. they have been around town for THREE of their THIRTY — ONE years of age, and whenever i see them, i am reminded of COMFORTING TELEVISION RERUNS LEFT ON IN THE BACKGROUND ; WELL - LOVED BOOKS , FADING COVERS CURLED BACK WITH AGE ; THRIFT STORE TRINKETS DULLED BY A FINE LAYER OF DUST. they even look like that SASHA LANE and i remember hearing NEW SLANG by THE SHINS blaring out of their earphones that one time. do you know who i’m talking about now ?
general.
name. maren yates
age. thirty - one
gender. cis woman
pronouns. she / her
orientation. lesbian
occupation. photographer , the gazette
education. high school certificate & bachelor's degree ( journalism & fine arts )
traits. offbeat , instinctive , gentle; exact , flighty , self - doubting
background.
the youngest of two sisters , maren was born in breckenridge , colorado to a creative family. the first eight years of her life were spent here before relocating to bristol , england until she completed school. many years were spent travelling between the two countries to see family and friends.
originally , she got into the guildhall school of music & drama in london with the hopes of pursuing visual arts. maren barely kept her head above water for three semesters before returning home. choosing to pursue journalism and photography instead , what initially felt like an 'easy' way out and a way to offload what she saw as failure slowly turned into an easy rhythm of freelance projects and experience at different newspapers.
before coming to montrouge , maren took the leap to work for a reporting company in ottawa. after years of moving and travel , there was a familiarity to montrouge that hasn't been in her life for a while.
headcanons.
focuses her time on working at the gazette , with odd freelance work on the side when she looks for something different. as it's a small agency , maren is found at most if not all events going on in montrouge.
the biggest fan of farmer's markets and will happily brave the cold for one.
lives a little way off from downtown montrouge. rents a small unit with her dog.
has a positive outlook most of the time , sometimes too positive. maren tends to get caught up in her own head and discourage herself. aggressive positivity is usually the only thing that helps get her out of a slump , though her perspective has definitely backfired before with friends or herself.
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