hello sunshine, won't you stay?

lark shepherd. twenty-five. florist. queen village. philadelphia. main roleplay little facts about lark - Suffers from intermittent asthma, and because she works with such a high pollen count, she always has an inhaler on hand. - Tends to have more one-night stands where she can dip out in the morning before the person wakes up rather than actual relationships. - Is vegan, prefers her coffee black with a splash of coconut milk, and can usually eat three bags of cauliflower puffs during a movie. - The flower shop is closed once a week because Lark sells her flowers at the farmer's market instead. - Her parents still send her a check every month, but she hasn't talked to them since before high school graduation.

[onlinecounsellingcollege]

And in the end, all I learned was how to be strong alone.

Unknown (via onlinecounsellingcollege)

[beautifulviolent-deactivated202]

“every time i planted my roots i had to rip them out. i do not settle any more. i do not believe in homes. i do not stay - i go; i leave; i disappear. i do not come back; i arrive never the same, forever unsettled.”

— marina v., too much of me is scattered on this earth. (via findingwordsforthoughts)

[larkshepherd]

miabolton·:

Mia had quite a few one night stands who she hoped to never bump into again but Lark was not one of them. The girl was gorgeous and Mia would happily welcome the girl back into her bed, but she was also happy to just be sat with her. “One of your customers eh?” she said, hearing the hitch in the girl’s sentence and instantly knowing there was more to it. She shook her head at the question offered by the other brunette, “nope, came alone, might not leave that way,” she grinned. Mia wasn’t here on a personal mission but she would happily take someone home if she found someone that fit the bill. 

Of course Mia would waste no time in calling her out over the slight stumble in her words. While others would have simply overlooked it or possibly not have even noticed it, the woman beside her was much more observant than that and never hesitated to speak her mind. Lark let out a breathy chuckle, allowing an amused smile to grow on her lips. “Just a customer,” She repeated, even though she knew they both knew that just a customer was slightly less than the whole truth, but even if Lark was going to announce to someone she had sex with in the past just why she was there and who she was there for, she wouldn’t even know where to begin in the world of labels. “That sounds like the Mia I remember. I’m sure anyone here would be lucky to leave with you, I definitely didn’t mind it when I did.”

[larkshepherd]

cassidy-bolton·:

Talkabout bottom of the barrel, Cassidy spent the better part of the morning flippingthings over in his siblings’ childhood bedrooms in search for the money.  Lately he had been low on funds since hisfather refused to give him back his job at the bar for the time being and outof retaliation Cassidy refused to do any of the chores his parents set out forhim in which they insisted they would pay him to do.  After scrapping enough money throughout thehouse, he placed on his grey house slippers and his mother came out to theliving room to see him about to leave.

“Cassidy, at least take a showerand put on some actual clothes.”

Ofcourse the middle Bolton ignored his mother and stepped out of the house with hisflannel pajamas that were too big for him, slippers and a grey robe wrappedaround his thin frame and headed to the down the pavement towards the cornermarket for a pack of cigarettes.  When hereached the corner store, he bought his pack of cigarettes as a few people eyesmade their way towards him, silently judging his attire and probably the facthe has not showered in over a week.

Ashe headed back down the sidewalk with a cigarette hanging between his lips, hementally groaned when he saw someone he recognized.  Fuck mylife, went through his mind.  And itnever failed the person came up to him when he looked like completegarbage.  “What are you doing here?”

The gruff question completely through off Lark’s game plan as she approached the man who was now in front of her. It was technically an unintentional approach, because she had been walking in his direction anyway, but the moment she recognized him she had planned to go slightly out of her way to greet him instead of just passing by and ignoring him altogether. She was sure she looked like a slightly confused fish who had just found its way out of water and was bewildered as to why the grass was also not water. 

Her gaze darted to the storefront next to them and back to the man, who looked only slightly different than he had in the hospital hallway where she met him. “I, um... was walking... that way,” Lark awkwardly pointed to the space in front of her, slightly past the man’s right side. Clearing her throat, she continued and resisted the urge to stuff her hands in the pockets of her jacket self-consciously. “I recognized you, from the, uh- hospital. The hallway, to be exact. I gave you the flower because you looked like crap and I was going to ask if you’ve been better, but... if I’m being honest, you still look like crap and I unfortunately don’t have any flowers on hand...”

[larkshepherd]

dylanstarling·:

Dylan had wanted a dog basically forever but it had never really been possible, first simply because his parents wouldn’t allow it, then the same with the dorms, and finally when he moved off campus he was simply worried that his apartment was too small and his schedule too full to be able to care for one, he often did all sorts of stupid stuff that endangered his own life and safety but he wasn’t about to do the same to a dog who was supposed to rely on him for everything. Of course, though, eventually the bright idea came to him to actually do some research and see if he had any options, which is how he ended up with Juniper.

That morning, as he did every morning in the about half a year since adopting Juniper, he was up early to take her out for a morning run, something he generally should be doing anyways and got her all the exercise she needed each day, and with her being able to be so independent while he was out during the day, caring for her was actually a lot easier than he feared, though her coat did sometimes get a bit out of control between trims and he was still trying to find more time to get her properly trained.

He had only just made it out of his building, focused more on his phone and figuring out where they should go that day, when he ran directly into someone, moving quickly out of the way as soon as he felt contact.

“Shit, sorry,” He spoke, “You okay?”

Lark had always had a strong circadian rhythm; when the sun woke up, so did she. It was another part of the bitter blame she placed on her parents, so sure that her ability to sleep when the sun is up came from years of being dragged around in sunny forests during the day. Her wake up call never had any regard for whether she actually wanted to wake up or not and despite the urge to shove her head under her pillow and fall back asleep, she found the attempt futile no matter how hard she tried. 

The sun was up. So was she.

One black cold brew and a splash of coconut milk later and with two hours to go until she had to open the doors to the flower shop, Lark found herself taking advantage of the early hour by going for a run through the Old City neighborhood. There was something about the tiny, charming, and quiet morning streets of Old City that her own streets in Queen Village didn’t quite have and she enjoyed the opportunity to explore places that were outside of her own bubble. With her house, the shop, and Dallas and her bar all being in the same neighborhood, she rarely found a good enough reason to venture outside of it- unless she had extra time and an extreme amount of boredom that drove her to Fishtown to bug Cooper.

But at this hour, she was sure the man would definitely be asleep and so Lark settled for jogging through the streets of Old City, slowing to a walk almost instantaneously as she shop across the street, her interest peaking and her attention completely stolen from looking at the path in front of her, quickly leading to her bumping into the shoulder of someone. A small ‘oof’ fell from her lips as her gaze snapped back to her side of the street and she managed to sidestep most of the impact, swirling around to apologize. “I’m so so- Dylan?” Her apology was cut off by a recognition of the man in front of her. His eyes were older and his frame was slightly taller, but Lark was almost positive the man in front of her was the same boy she had befriended in high school.

[larkshepherd]

rhiannonpruitt·:

“I think Chelsea’s wedding was the craziest one I’ve been involved in, but you know the industry better than I do,” Rhiannon agreed. Aside from when she was requested to be a part of a friend or cousin’s bridal party, her interest in marriage and all associated events was minimal. “I work at a law firm in Fishtown, quite the jump from the wedding business. I do envy you, though, getting to work with flowers all day,” Rhiannon admitted. She was hardly able to keep supermarket flowers alive in between trimming the stems and changing the water, or else she would have decorated her coffee table with them more often. 

“I know someone who works here too, actually, but I wasn’t here to see her. I was actually supposed to be on a date, but he cancelled as I got off my train here,” Rhiannon admitted, knowing that she was dressed a little more fancily than the average patron. “But why waste the night when I’m already here, right?” she concluded, in an effort to lighten the mood. “What’s your drink of choice? First round is on me,” she offered, sliding a credit card to the bartender. 

“Unfortunately,” Lark remarked, a brave smile attempting to hide her true feelings about the wedding industry. If she made her disdain for it apparent to every person she wandered across, it would be a huge loss to her overall business, and as much as she disliked all of the insane, mentally exhausting work that went into planning flowers for an event they spent barely a few hours at, weddings were the supporting beam for many floral businesses. Rhiannon’s next statement made her feel slightly better about suffering through wedding planning, because if there was anything worse than dealing with the mother of a bride-to-be it’s dealing with everything a lawyer does. “I’ll be honest, I don’t envy you at all. I’d rather deal with a million people demanding a million different flower combinations than deal with anything in the legal system, so you’ve got me impressed already.”

Eyebrows crinkled together curiously. There were dozens of people who worked here and Lark knew the likelihood of both of them knowing the exact same person was too wild to be realistic, yet she couldn’t help but wonder. “Oh no, I’m sorry,” She offered a sincere apology, it was never fun to be stood up, especially when you’ve already gone through all of the effort of getting ready. Lark was already intrigued by the energy Rhiannon gave off, though, and was quick to grin and nod in agreement. “That’s the attitude. Are you sure though? I mean, you already put in all the effort for the night, the least I could do is treat you to some ‘sorry people suck’ drinks."

[larkshepherd]

dallasstarling·:

She was quite genuinely amazed she hadn’t personally run Lark out of Philadelphia by now, with all her consistent floundering around the other. But, the far quieter voice nudged, she hadn’t. The opposite, it seemed — even if it was completely by coincidence. The gentle assurance brought a hesitant smile to Dallas’ features, fingers going still just short of snatching away the potentially offensive bottle. “Are you.. are you sure?” She asked. “Always local, if I can help it, totally ethical. That I know of, anyway. Not that there a ton of apiaries in Philadelphia, but if you look hard enough…” She continued, clumsily, pulling her hand back once she realized she was still hovering almost threateningly by the amber bottle. Dallas chuckled, shaking her head. “Is that some sort of immersion therapy? Conquer your allergies?” She asked, lightly teasing lilt to her tone. Nodding toward the bottle, she continued on. “It’s this, uh, honey lavender ale. Not one of your allergies, I hope? If I poisoned you before I even asked you —” she paused, blue eyes widening as she stopped the sentence right at the cliff’s edge. Picking up her own bottle and taking a drink, as though yep, that was absolutely the end of it right there. Definitely a spring beer, just in time for… November. Still though, if Dallas had any hopes of shaking the other woman from her thoughts, it was swept up in the storm a few months back. She used inspiration when it came, and nothing had calmed her in that time like the girl with the flowers and the sweet voice. Honey lavender seemed the obvious choice — even if it took far longer to get into production than she would’ve liked. 

“I’m sure,” Lark said, nodding with a level of certainty that most likely should have been reserved for life changing events and morals that just wouldn’t be budged on instead of the singular glass bottle of beer that sat on the bar in front of her. Without giving it another moment to linger, she raised the bottle to her lips and took a tiny sip, still managing to listen to the woman’s words as she spoke about bee colonies and allergies. The beer was... good, which didn’t surprise Lark at all, especially knowing that Dallas had personally created the combination. Anything the woman across from her made managed to be good in one way or another, but this was... different-good. Instead of the usual seasonal flavor of pumpkin or cinnamon, honey and the hint of something sweet and floral coated her tongue and she set the bottle on the bar top as her eyes narrowed curiously.

“You’d be surprised how many bees you can find outside of the city,” She joked, still attempting to name the taste that she should have known and yet, her mind was too focused on the moment to even remember her middle name. “It’s.. not intentional, but you love what you love, right?” It just so happened nature was her biggest enemy and yet, her only family, and she wasn’t sure what she would do without it in her life, so she carried an inhaler just in case and hoped for the best. Lark had almost forgotten the mystery flavor when Dallas spoke again, filling in the blank. Lavender- of course. She didn’t know much about beer, but she knew a lot about lavender and she was almost disappointed in herself for not recognizing it. “It’s not! It’s- uh, they’re pollen-related allergies and I don’t think they translate to consuming the plant,” Lark laughed softly, taking another sip of what would most likely become her go-to beer if she ever had the nerve to venture back into The Nest again, as she was sure she’d embarrass herself before the conversation ended. She noted Dallas’ expression and continued to joke, “I don’t have any food allergies, if that’s what you wanted to ask... which would make sense because you put an unlabeled mystery bottle in front of me and I willingly drank it, so unless there’s a slim chance you’re also brewing poison and somehow mixed up the bottles, I think I’ll be fine.”

[larkshepherd]

miabolton‌:

It felt very different to see Lark out in the wild, Mia didn’t stop by the shop that often given that she had a tendency to kill plants before they began, but she had ordered from her a few times. Mia flirted with everyone but she really enjoyed hitting on Lark because the girl always looked so coy, even though Mia had seen her naked. “Who are you looking for?” Mia pried as she looked around the room, curious as to who had Lark scanning bars. Mia’s drink arrived and she took a sip before answering the question, “I’ve been good, much of a muchness though,” she complained, it seemed like her life had truly plateaued. 

Philadelphia had always been a large enough city that Lark felt comfortable in never having to run into someone she had... hooked up with, something that may or may not have come from a deep-seated fear of abandonment that she hadn’t even started combing through in her adult life. Instead, her method was planned ignoring and up until now Lark had been doing a pretty good job with that. Mia wasn’t the worst person from her past to run into, in fact, she was one of the people Lark didn’t mind running into again. The woman was kind and flirty and seemed to be a pro at the noncommittal bedroom fun. “I, uh- the owner is one of my customers and I was hoping to get her opinion on something,” Lark responded with a nod. Sure, it wasn’t entirely the truth because she wasn’t there for a shop related opinion at all, but she was there for an opinion and that was truthful enough, right? “Good is much better than bad. Are you... here with someone?”

[larkshepherd]

thaddeustuck‌:

Lark had been one of Thaddeus’ first friends in Philadelphia, one of his first friends when he was actually himself and happy and able to be what he felt was actually a good friend, and he had always been disappointed that they had ended up drifting apart after Lark graduated, though he couldn’t say it wasn’t really unexpected.

“Just here alone,” He replied as he sat down next to her, “I’ve been fine enough, right now busy with school and all that, so,” He shrugged, before realizing that it had been long enough since he had last seen Lark that he actually had a big update for her, “Oh! Also, I was finally able to start T, back at the very end of August, I have a little moustache now.” He knew he should probably shave it, it wasn’t exactly the nicest looking facial hair, but he was just happy at that point to have any at all, “What about you? How have you been?”

It was always a disappointment as an adult that life didn’t give you much time to spend with friends, especially those that you no longer shared a circle with. Lark had met Thaddeus in college, but after she graduated they no longer shared that similarity and therefore ended up drifting apart while Lark continued to find her way through life after school and Thaddeus finished up with his own schooling. Still, Thaddeus always had a mind that was mature beyond his years and Lark admired that, glad they’re finally having the chance to catch up after so long. “How’s school going?” She questioned, always curious about the school she left behind when she decided to pursue her own business instead. At the big update, a bright smile bloomed within Lark’s expression, listening as she observed the new and improved features Thaddeus had pointed out. “No way! Thaddeus, that’s awesome! It’s so cute, look at it,” Lark’s nose crinkled with pride for her friend taking such a big step in their life. “This is amazing news, nothing I have is even close to topping it so we don’t have to talk about me at all.”

[larkshepherd]

dr-cassidy-jacks‌:

“Glad to hear it, I think everyone in this city is due for a streak of good luck, and calmness, considering everything that’s happened the past few months.” Cassidy nodded, getting a bit distant for a split second as she recollected before coming back to the moment. “I’m alright! Things are busy, I’ve picked up a few new projects because apparently I hate the idea of having a work-life balance.” She chuckled self depricatingly, shrugging her shoulders. “But it’s all for a good reason.” She considered the offer for a moment before shaking her head politely. “I’m good, not much for drinking honestly but thank you. Dallas finds it a bit hilarious given I live with the owner of such an establishment. Can’t blame her. What brings you to this neck of the woods?”

Lark nodded in agreement, knowing some of the people in this city have struggled enough in the previous few months for a lifetime and she hoped that the hard times have at least gone easy on the friend sitting next to her. Whether they had or not, she wasn’t sure, but it sounded like Cassidy was doing well for herself and Lark always liked hearing that friends were out there doing great things. “That balance sounds oddly like fiction, but if you love it that’s all that matters,” She laughed softly, taking a sip of the drink in her hands as she considered her own work-life balance which was also non-existent; Lark had a habit of throwing herself completely into her business, especially around peak wedding seasons. 

Her thoughts stopped short, frozen as the woman next to her uttered the name Dallas. If brains could actually short-circuit, she was sure her brain definitely was. In a wild rush to stutter out some kind of sentence, as though she needed words to complete the trifecta of surprise she felt, she managed to choke on the beer she had just swallowed, “D- Dallas? You, uh- you know Dallas?” For a moment after the words left her mouth and she finally managed to breath without inhaling alcohol, Lark couldn’t help but wonder what the chances were that Cassidy’s Dallas and her Dallas were two different people. Two people with a fairly uncommon name could co-own the same bar... right?

[typelikeagirl]

[larkshepherd]

dallasstarling·:

Dallas was really regretting wearing the old Eagles T-shirt that she was nearly positive was as old as she was, and looked every moment of it. Most of the damage had come to it in her position — the occasional spill, the tiny tear from her misjudging a space and snagging the stupid thing — but still, it really should’ve never left her apartment. Much less found its way on her person, to her job, where she could possibly, just maybe, run into the woman she still managed to trip over her words amount. Tugging absent-mindedly at the hem of the thing, as if that could somehow make it genuinely anything else, she still felt herself smile as the other spoke. Such a gentle tone — so much so that it almost distracted Dallas from the actual words. “Wait,” she started, bright eyes going wide for a moment, hands stopping just short of actually taking the bottle back. “Vegan. That means no honey, right? Hold on. That one’s a no.” She said, nodding toward the bottle. “Let me get you something else. A flight maybe? That way you can try a few different ones, see what you like?” She asked, optimistically. She chuckled, remembering the second bit of her statement and lifting her shoulders in a small shrug. “Which parts of nature, exactly? There’s a whole big world out there.” She said, smile smile beginning to replace the fleeting panicked expression.

“Oh, no, uh,” Lark instantly shook her head, biting the inside of her lip as she attempted to think of a way to explain that honey was, in most cases, okay and ethical and even though it was a conversation she had managed to have a million times with most likely a million different people, she struggled to find the words to explain the logistics behind bees and honey with the woman in front of her look so impossibly unkempt and messy and yet utterly adorable at the same time. The shirt, however, caught her attention and she tried to suppress a soft laugh at the irony. Of course she would be sitting in a bar called The Nest, in front of a woman wearing a shirt that proudly displayed the word Eagles, and still be completely smitten. “Honey isn’t always bad, it’s just... misunderstood. I’d love to try it, especially if you made it,” Lark reassured her. “Pollen, mostly, which is... the ironic part given my career choice and that most likely makes as much sense as yours would if you were allergic to hops or grains.”

[larkshepherd]

jaxflores·:

“I would be a great vampire,” Jax defended indignantly, brows furrowed in confusion that anyone would ever suggest anything to the contrary. He had no real reason to believe he would, indeed, be a great vampire, but he was sure all the same. The comment was wasted, though, since the current debate was taking place through text. Looking from his phone screen to the person who had the misfortune of being nearest to him, he spoke more directly, as though he hadn’t been defending himself to thin air only moments ago. “Honest answers only, I would be a great vampire, right?” He asked, barely noticing that the question was hardly worded as a question at all. Then, eyes widening in a seeming realization, and narrowing again. “Can you still bone as a vampire? Or is that totally fuckin’ out with the whole dead thing?” He asked, voice slightly softer with a genuine edge of concern, as though this were an issue he would be facing down any day now. It was Halloween season, after all.

Waiting for the light to change before crossing the street was something Lark quickly decided was a mistake, as the man next to her directed his question her way and she almost would have rather walked straight into Philadelphia traffic than have to answer the questions that fell from his mouth. If the action wouldn’t have completely destroyed the bouquet in her hands, Lark wasn’t sure she still wouldn’t have walked into traffic in an effort to not have to polite smile her way through a conversation about vampires and... sex. It wasn’t the oddest topic she had been forced to discuss in the streets of the city, but it was fairly close. “I... you’d be a good vampire,” Lark offered in an unsure tone, eyebrows scrunching closer together with thought. “I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer questions about vampires, but I’m almost sure they still do... that in movies?”

[larkshepherd]

dallasstarling·:

She heard the voice before she saw the face, eyes going wide in surprise as she immediately spun back through the door she’d just come through. Dallas was sure she had never looked better, hair piled onto of her head and definitely sweating, despite the October cold creeping in. The better part of her morning was spent hovering around a fermentation tank, going through a rather extensive (and disappointing) trial and error process of trying to work out a ‘Christmas’ beer. This particular look was not rare form for Dallas when it came to most of The Nest employees (and a good chunk of the regulars) — but Lark wasn’t either of those things, and somehow, she almost always managed to be a mess around this woman. Peeking around the corner and catching the brunette engaged in another conversation, Dallas took the moment as an opportunity to get it together. At least, as much as she was able to, given what she was working with. 

Fighting her own perfectionism, she grabbed two bottles that she hadn’t even had labels printed for yet. In truth, it was partially because the lavender honey ale was far out of season, but she was almost sure Lark would sense that she was at least partially the inspiration for it. She hadn’t gotten the blend exactly how she’d wanted it, yet — but maybe this was a moment the Philadelphia native would finally win the battle against her own nerves. Steeling herself, she took a breath and walked out, neatly placing one of the bottles in front of Lark. Without wanting to interrupt the other’s conversation entirely, she offered a gentle ‘hi,’ wrinkling her nose. Great start, Dallas. Then, realizing she had just put in an order at the bar, she immediately lost the composure she’d managed with that one whole word. “This is — totally not what you ordered. It’s just… something new. No rush at all, obviously. You don’t have any allergies, right?” 

It would be Lark’s greatest lie if she tried to claim she hadn’t stopped by The Nest more than once, on the off chance that she’d end up in the bar at the same time as Dallas and would have found enough confidence by then to actually say something to the woman. That particular off chance had only happened once before, Lark immediately clamming up and exiting The Nest quicker than she had entered at the sight of Dallas across the bar. This time, she got comfortable with not seeing Dallas when she found her seat at the bar, thankful that if the woman did show up she’d at least have a few minutes to run over the same sentence in her mind before having to say it out loud. Then her thoughts were interrupted by a regular at her shop who had recognized her and took the moment to strike up a polite conversation with her.

Lark never minded the occasional polite ‘how are you’ with regulars she’d see outside of the shop, but it wasn’t until a bottle of beer was set on the bar in front of her, causing her attention to shift to the woman who set it there, and regret instantly formed in her stomach, the conversation with the person next to her had taken up any time Lark had to rehearse what she was going to say and she could almost feel the blood drain from her face as it raced to the tips of her ears. She hoped she didn’t look like the fish out of water she felt like she looked like. Get it together, she internally scolded herself, swallowing as she turned back to the person beside her to give a polite goodbye before turning her attention fully back to Dallas. “Hey,” Lark greeted softly, her fingertips touching the plain glass of the bottle. “It looks... good? I, uh- no, no allergies, just vegan... and ironically allergic to nature, but- that’s not what you were asking about at all.”

[larkshepherd]

rhiannonpruitt·:

Rhiannon didn’t know why she bothered with men anymore. She had made her way home after work to get ready to meet a banker she’d met on Tinder, only for him to cancel on her after she had already arrived at the bar, sitting on one of the stools and perusing the cocktail menu. As Rhiannon was about to order her usual cosmo, a familiar voice perked up next to her. 

“I remember you, you did the flowers for Chelsea’s wedding,” Rhiannon said instantly, remembering running around on the day of her friend’s wedding as the maid of honor to ensure that everything was according to plan. “What brings you out today?” she asked. “I’m Rhiannon, by the way. Don’t think I ever introduced myself in August besides ‘Chelsea’s maid of honor’.”

Lark recognized instantly that taking a chance on greeting the woman beside her, who she now realized she had only met with a few times in the past and only ever under high-stress situations, had been fairly risky and could have ended in embarrassment for the brunette, who tended to remember almost everyone she interacted with and could never ignore a friendly hello to the people she had interacted with. She wished she had taken a sip of her drink before that point, as it might have stopped her mind from spinning in the few directions this could end badly for her.

Thankfully, the woman beside her was an angel and did end up remembering her (a moment Lark let a sigh of relief fall from her lips). “I did,” Lark nodded, smiling with a slight hint of pride as she remembered the wedding, which were never her favorite event to plan florals for, but she’d be lying if she didn’t say they ended up being some of her best work. “Rhiannon, right, things get crazy during a wedding, I don’t blame you. I’m Lark,” She offered her hand for a moment before continuing. “I... actually have a friend who works here that I was hoping to catch, but it turns out they’re not in today... How have you been?”

[larkshepherd]

thaddeustuck·:

A long day quickly turned into a long week, and now was quickly approaching a long month for Thaddeus. He still hadn’t really dealt with the issue of his parents who were insisting he come home and with November and the end of the semester growing so ever closer that was only becoming more of an issue, along with causing even more issues in other aspects of his life. At this point he just wanted one night to just relax and focus on literally anything else but his problems was something he more than needed.

He didn’t notice Lark at first as he leaned between two stools to order at the bar, hearing her voice beside him and smiling as he turned, glad to see a familiar face there, especially knowing that meant he wouldn’t just be sitting there alone with a drink.

“Oh, hey, how’ve you been?”

Lark was thoroughly surprised to see Thaddeus show up in the bar beside her, not having caught up with him in quite awhile. It wasn’t an unwelcome interaction, though. Getting to know Thaddeus during her last years at Temple allowed her to make a friend she would have never expected and she didn’t have very many of them in Philadelphia, usually keeping to herself and her flowers, whether on purpose or by complete unawareness. “Hey!” Lark repeated again, not meaning to greet him twice, but what was done was done, so she waved her hand at the stool next to her as an nonchalant offering. “Are you here with anyone. Please, sit. How have you been? I feel like it’s been ages since we’ve had the chance to catch up.”

[larkshepherd]

miabolton·:

Mia enjoyed a bar, it was a good place to meet people that she wouldn’t have to spend too much time with. She got to see people in that perfect moment when they were cheery and less likely to remember the next day. Usually she stuck to strangers but when she spotted Lark sitting alone Mia felt compelled to go and sit herself next to her. She ordered herself a beer before smiling at Lark. “Hey,” she replied. “What is a pretty girl like you doing sitting in a bar by yourself?” she quizzed, thanking the bartender when her drink arrived. and taking a sip.

Lark never expected to see Mia pop up anywhere she was; then again, Lark also stuck to her usual three or four places and bars usually weren’t one of them, so their circles often never crossed paths. Yet, tonight she found herself in a bar, sitting next to Mia, and as the initial surprise wore off she couldn’t help but grin at the woman’s compliment, a light blush heating the tips of her ears. “I was, uh... hoping to catch a friend, but they must not be here tonight,” Lark answered simply. She wasn’t going to spill the fact that she was here, hoping for even the smallest glimpse of a girl she hadn’t even had the courage to ask on a date yet. She took a sip of her own beer before addressing the brunette again. “It’s nice to see you, Mia, how have you been?”