would you believe us if we said that wasn't really HUDSON WILLIAMS? well, it isn't .ᐟ.ᐟ that's LENNOX HART, a proud resident of pinehaven for the last 4 YEARS. you can find them working as a PRIVATE GYM OWNER/TRAINER. they're 26, but they hardly look that old! it must be the washington weather that keeps them looking so young .ᐟ.ᐟ word around the town is that they're a PERFECTIONIST, COMPULSIVE, STUBBORN, but we think that's silly. we feel like they're much more WITTY, RESILIENT, OBSERVANT. if we had to pick one song to describe HIM, it would be HEAVY BY LINKIN PARK. see ya 'round, KNOX .ᐟ.ᐟ
Lennox had been the kind of player small towns brag about for decades. He was the kid who could skate before he could ride a bike. He was always talented, but more than that, he was disciplined. He wasn't born with a golden boy ego; he earned everything through brutal training, early mornings, and turning down parties everyone else went to. Coaches used words like driven, to describe him, and scouts loved him. He was a Canadian hockey prodigy.
Knox's family wasn’t wealthy, so he grew up playing with secondhand gear and working part-time at the local rink to help cover travel costs. By 18, he was in a top-tier junior league, and by 22, he was on the brink of a professional contract. He had just finished a standout season in a high-level developmental league. His name was on draft boards, and his agent was setting up meetings. He was weeks away from going pro. But then came the injury.
During a preseason scrimmage, a reckless hit from an opposing player that had a reputation, and had always hated him, sent Knox crashing into the boards at an angle no body is meant to take. The impact shattered part of his knee and tore multiple ligaments. He remembers the crack before he remembers the pain. The hit was penalized. It was controversial, but none of that changed the fact that his path was gone.
Rehab was grueling, long, and isolating. He finished it because giving up wasn’t in his DNA, but the doctors were honest in that his knee would never withstand the demands of a pro career. Not safely or consistently.
When he realized the door had slammed shut for good, he left applied for Americna citizenship and left his country behind. He needed to get away from the press and the pity. He needed to start over again. Since he had some family in Pinehaven, that was where Knox ended up. It was a quieter place to breathe or fall apart without an audience.
After moving, Knox opened Hartline Training Studio as a way to stay close to the world he loved without being swallowed by the memories of it. But the studio quickly became more of a passion than a job. It's a place where young athletes who don’t have much are given a real shot. He trains kids, teens, adults, and former athletes, and he’s good at it. It makes him feel less listless, and like he has a purpose again. But he never talks about the injury unless someone needs to hear the truth behind his resilience.
a little about him:
Lennox 'Knox' Hart (fc: Hudson Williams)
27 y/o
status: single
sexuality: fluid
is korean/canadian
likes early morning jogs to clear his head
has a soft spot for terrible action movies
uses guitar playing as stress relief (he’s getting better but still sucks)
loves cinnamon rolls more than any grown man should
reads sports psychology books secretly
drives with the windows down even in the cold
keeps every thank-you card clients give him
has a cat that just showed up at his apartment one day and never left
Is a hard worker and extremely patient with beginners
remembers little details someone tells him
drinks protein shakes but secretly prefers chocolate milk
can build a fire faster than anyone he knows
eats like someone still in training mode: big portions & protein-focused
always stops to pet dogs on the street
knows some french from living in canada
his place is immaculate & he's a bit of a neat freak
is horrendous at cooking anything that isn’t grilled or microwaved
still skates for fun even though it usually just ends up making him melancholy after
aesthetics: soft worn-in henleys, hoodies layered over compression shirts, calloused hands, chalk traces often on his clothes, clean soap, wintergreen muscle rub, golden-hour sunlight through gym windows, warm skin even in winter, a worn duffel bag tossed next to the training mats, wristwatch with a slightly scuffed face, warm beanies, athletic tape in his pocket, skates carving ice
connection ideas:
honestly i'm open to anything & everything, but here are some ideas!
alejandro: i doubt i am the only one, knox. shall i take a poll for you? i'll have paul set one up. it's the least he can do for ghosting you, asshole.
alejandro: he hasn't burnt the place down yet, so...i think he's got this. mostly i think he just likes watching his tv shows while he clothes. he complains that his wife is always talking during the good parts and he can never get fully into it at home. it's kind of funny...
alejandro: i'm sure they will be right back to it after the holiday is over. if anything...you will at least be seeing me.
alejandro: also, yes, i think you are right about ollie's picture. i will have to have him redo it soon. pauly also needs to learn the word respect. once he starts to show us both that...then i will maybe consider it. we will see. he has a long way to go.
alejandro: that sounds good to me. i can go scoop you, if you'd like?
knox: honestly i'm not sure i wanna know what other people think, pass. but thanks anyway. honestly i don't mind; he kept complaining the whole time.
knox: dude needs his alone time i guess. is it sad that he's managed to lock someone down and we haven't?
knox: actually, forget i asked that.
knox: probably. everyone's going to be working on their spring break bods. and good, you help keep me sane there.
knox: or you could just draw a mustache on it and then it will basically look like him now. how long has he been working there?
knox: you don't mind?
VAL ▸ K : i never need a reason, but someone else was buying. took advantage.
VAL ▸ K : you are. too sweet. work on that
VAL ▸ K : yeah, that works. extra pickles
knox: can't blame you there. and i know, i was just making sure like that you're okay, you know?
knox: would you rather i was an asshole?
knox: you're living dangerously i see
knox: any particular reason or just for fun?
knox: you say that like you're surprised. i'm always sweet!
knox: burgers work for you? i've kinda been craving one all day.
who: open starter @pinehavenstarters
what: edge of downtown Pinehaven
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Rhea walked along the sidewalk in downtown Pinehaven. It was snowier than she had anticipated, but she couldn't stand another minute cooped up inside. The weather had never been an issue is Los Angeles, duh, it was known for it's steady 70 degrees and sunny, which was Rhea's favorite part. She had never been accustomed to the cold, growing up in the south— she was perfectly contempt wearing a sweater in 80 degrees. But the cold wasn't even the issue at the moment. She mostly just felt cooped up. She hated feeling stagnant and the weather most definitely made her feel stuck. So naturally, she went for a walk.
Most of the shops were closed. She was crazy for going outside at all, but at least she wasn't driving. Just stupidly walking. She looked up, realizing how far from the main path she had drifted, just walking to clear her head. The snow was fresh, covering most of her view into the tree line, but her eyes swiftly darted down to the fresh foot prints disappearing into the trees. Someone was just here...
She stood staring into the opening between the pine trees, knowing full well she would be making a huge mistake if she stepped any further toward the forest. She hadn't ever been the one to wander, but here she was, peering down the path. Through the thick snowfall, a figure began to move toward her. She turned, ready to bolt back toward town when she promptly slipped on an icy root. "Please don't kill me! Please don't kill me!" she shouted, anxiously attempting to get up from the ice and slipping again. The sight was all too dramatic, but she had seen one too many horror movies and true crime documentaries to assume anything but the worst.
"Whoa. Hey, it's okay," Knox reassured quickly, his hands coming up in a nonthreatening surrender as his steps slowed. The last thing he wanted was to send her into a full sprint back toward town. or to injure herself with how slick the ground was. "I promise I'm not gonna kill you." Knox paused as he recoiled at the way that sounded. "Okay, I know that sounds like something a killer would say, but I swear I'm harmless."
Knox stopped a few feet away, careful not to crowd her. Concern crept across his face as he noticed the way she had slipped. It looked far from pleasant. "That damned root gets everyone. Pretty sure it's like a right of passage when you're new to town," he added in a calm manner, hoping not to further spook her. Truthfully he was just assuming she was new to town; sometimes with Pinehaven being so small it was easy to spot a newbie. But he also hoped not to offend her if it wasn't the case.
Crouching slightly, Knox made certain his boots were planted solidly in the snow as he extended a gloved hand her way. "C'mon, I swear I don't bite. If anything, quite the opposite." Patiently he waited to see if she would accept as a warm smile tugged at his mouth. "Name's Knox. I was just heading back home." He glanced toward the tree line, then back to her. "Can I asked what compelled you get out in this brutal weather? I'm Canadian, so that's my excuse. Or well, I was."
Besides music, working out had been one of the things James had always turned to when he was stressed or when things felt a bit too much. It had started out as playing baseball and soccer in middle and high school and had turned into weight lifting and running, and then doing daily physical training during his time serving. So in a sense it was like he was having to start all over with something else yet again. Something he knew he should be used to but it didn't make it any less disheartening or hell, even frustrating at times for James. "Damn, there goes my idea of asking you to teach me hockey stuff." He laughed softly as he looked back over at Knox, nodding his head.
"I know." James breathed out and shrugged some. "I think it's just the fact that my body has these new..." His brow furrowed, searching for the word he was looking for. "Things that it can't do now that it used to do. You'd think I'd be used to that at this point but-" It was simply what it was these days. "The most I've been doing is going out on morning walks, which has been really nice." Glad that he had at least picked that up, that he was getting back into some kind of groove. "But yeah, if I get to that point where I think I'm good to try it again, I'll take you up on that." Thankful that Knox had even put the offer out there. "And if you want, I also don't mind if you want to go show off or something." James laughed once more, eyes drifting over to the treadmill, knowing that this was in fact the best place for him to be starting off again when it came to getting back into some kind of gym routine.
"I can still teach you hockey stuff if you really want," Knox promised, his voice going a little soft. "Just maybe not some of the fancy, super intense stuff. But if you've never done it before it would be a while until you're there anyway. Are you much of an ice skater? Because that's kind of an important aspect of it too." It was a bittersweet thing, to know his dream was no longer within reach. However, Knox was grateful to be where he was. Injuries in sports, especially hockey and football could be more extreme than career ending. At least he could still do most things, and he still had his life. He just had to remind himself not to dwell on the sad stuff sometimes. Maybe he could help James with that.
He nodded in understanding; James was much better at expressing what he meant than Knox, but he could relate. "That's way better than I could put it," he admitted, a hint of a smile tilting at his mouth. "Honestly, it's kind of hard to get past that. At least for a while. But the good news is if you have someone to keep an eye on you then they'll stop you before you go on autopilot." Anything he could do to help someone out, Knox was willing. Especially when it came to overcoming the hard stuff. His grin grew as James accepted his offer. "Sounds good to me. And honestly walking is so underrated, so it's good that you're throwing it into the mix again more regularly." Waving him off with a laugh, Knox shook his head. "Nah, no showing off today. Promise I'm good to keep it chill and tag alongside you. Unless you want more privacy, then I promise that's cool too."
it wasn't that evie yearned for validation with fervor, yet there existed a distinct measure of personal satisfaction when she found herself in the presence of an attentive audience, even if it was an audience of one. this was evidenced in the way evie's eyes lit, a clear reflection of her delight as she basked in the encouragement, her demeanor exuding a sense of smug satisfaction. "why thank you," she cooed, as an uneven smile creased her cheek. "my eomma always said I could argue the sun down, which sounds a lot more fluid in korean now that I'm saying that out loud." evie had, admittedly, never felt neutral on any subject and it was a hard bid to convince her to abandon her convictions. whether this was admirable or folly was arguable.
with a sense of anticipation, evie plunged her fork into the dish presented before her, her appetite rekindled despite abandoning her own leftovers. why did food off of someone else plate always taste infinitely more delicious? she stifled a delicate snort at his quip, "how generous of you, sharing the wealth with those less idiosyncratic. you are truly a benevolent soul."
the twinkle returned at the chance to divulge further information regarding her most recent discoveries. "oh knox, when am I ever not talking about cryptids?" she fixed him with a kinked brow and a pause to build suspense. "I was at the cemetery the other day, you know just hanging around, and there, right in the snow" she extended her hand into the space just over his shoulder, as if the visual in question lay just beyond his sight. "a footprint, at least like 15 feet wide. So I think, oh so obviously its a Wendigo, right?"
Knox's mouth twitched as Evie preened, eyes bright with unmistakably triumphant energy. He lifted his hands slightly in surrender as a quiet laugh slipped out. "No problem. Honestly, I totally believe that. You could probably argue the sun into setting twice if you really committed to it. Is it sad that I'm half Korean but know very little of the language? I guess that's what happens when you're born and raised in Canada. Instead I ended up with the most 'polite' accent."
He watched her spear food from his plate with an unmatched eagerness and shook his head, though made no move to take it back. "Of course I am. I'm a little said that you even doubted that." There was obvious sarcasm, in a playful spirit, because Knox was probably the farthest thing from whimsical. But he found it amusing that Evie bothered to play along. "I wouldn't let you eat the rest of my food if I weren't benevolent," he pointed out, nodding toward his plate that she was now eating from. He considered adding in to remember that when he was a household name, but those days were gone with his injury. It was the whole reason he'd come to Pinehaven in the first place, to escape it.
Leaning back in his chair as Evie gushed about cryptids, Knox's smile grew. His eyes followed her hand in gesture, brows lifting. "Of course it was the cemetery," he deadpanned. "Should I be concerned that you spend so much time there? You know, you should do a show from it sometime. Really ante up the creepy factor." Knox paused for a moment to sip at his drink and he humored her with a teasing nod. "Of course it was. That was Wendell. You know, the local Wendigo." He was giving her hell but it drew a bright smile from him. "but really, do you mean like those things from Until Dawn? You think they're real?"
alejandro: you don't have to butter me up, knox. you already know i do not find you boring in the slightest.
alejandro: not working this weekend, no. pauly volunteered to close, mostly because he's trying for that spot.
alejandro: you see, this is why i cannot give him employee of the month. what if he begins to slack off once he gets it? no. it's going to ollie. he is a very hard worker, and our customers really like him.
alejandro: that sounds great. glad to hear you're keeping busy and the gym is continuing to bring people in.
alejandro: so, what do you want to do? go somewhere for food, bar, come over? whatever.
knox: i swear i wasn't! you are probably the only one.
knox: do you think he can handle closing? no offense to the guy, but.
knox: you know you should change out his picture sometime. pretty sure he was like 15 in that pic. he looks like a totally different person. but i agree with you like pauly needs to step up his game if he wants it that bad.
knox: thanks! it'll probably taper off around valentine's day when everyone is eating their way in chocolate and going out all the time.
knox: i wonder if there's any games going on, we could get drinks and watch a game or something?
Knox pushed through the door of Lou-Lou's, the bell overhead chiming softly as warmth, along with the smell of grease and coffee, enveloped him. He paused just inside and scanned the place until his eyes found Dimitri behind the line cooking up a storm. He decided to forgo a booth or table and slipped into one of the bar-stools up front, just within Dimiti's eye-line in hopes that he might get a break and have a few minutes to chat. Knox wanted to give him a little hell about losing their sledding race, but also he hadn't forgotten about the promise of a dinner together. It had been in the back of his ever since.
He wasn't sure if Dimitri would be off work soon, but hoped that maybe they could make it happen after his shift. If not, at least he'd still get to see him for a bit. When approached by a waitress, Knox ordered a cup of coffee; his usual with almond milk and stevia. It only felt polite to do so, and gave him an excuse to linger a little longer even if Dimitri didn't pay him any mind. Then he pretended the scan the menu, even if he didn't want to order yet, just in case they were able to have their dinner date (was it a date?? — he wondered; or rather, hoped) later.
Big brown eyes perused the specials, and once of the times he glanced up from the words he met those vibrant blue eyes across the way. That gaze made him feel all fluttery and jittery and things that Knox rarely did. He offered Dimitri a warm, inviting smile and hoped he didn't look like a complete simp or fool waiting around like this.
VAL ▸ K : change of plans
VAL ▸ K : hungover. making me get out of this bed will send me to the grave.
VAL ▸ K : come here instead. i'll venmo you for the takeout.
knox: i feel like i should have seen this coming.
knox: forget the venmo, it's not a big deal.
knox: i'm assuming you're extra picky with the hangover. what do you feel like eating?
Who: Knox ( @leftmyhartontheice )
Where: Hartline Training Studio
"So, I'm guessing any kind of weight lifting is probably out of the question, huh?" James asked, looking over at Knox as they stepped out of the changing area and onto the floor of the gym. James had always loved working, not only was it incredibly important during his time serving but he had found it to be a way to let go of his stress and relax. Though the idea of going back to working out had hardly crossed his mind, that was until he was told by someone that part of his recovery and moving forward was getting back to things he had once enjoyed. And while James had been stubborn about it as first, he knew that they were right.
And while he wasn't ready to get behind the drums yet to see if he remembered how to play, the gym seemed like a good place to start, beyond glad that Knox had tagged along with him. Instead he waved a hand over to the treadmill. "As much as I hate it, I feel like that might be the best place for me to start. My days of lifting heavy shit and doing much more is more than likely over with." His tone joking and an amused smile on his face.
Knox slowed his steps beside James and glanced over at him with a look that was thoughtful rather than doubtful. "I don't think it's totally out of the question. At least not indefinitely. Maybe you shouldn't start back up with it, but you might could build up to it later if you feel comfortable doing so. Definitely go at your own pace and with what feels right. Honestly it took me a long time to get back into the groove but now I'm almost as strong as I used to be. You know, unless you try and get me to do some of my old hockey tricks." Working out had always been a way of life since Knox was young, but it was just part of the athletic lifestyle. He hadn't realize how much he missed out though or what a stress reliever it was until he had to take a break from it.
He tipped his chin toward the treadmill as James gestured to it, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. "Honestly there's nothing wrong with starting out there. I mean, walking is still one of the most important activities that everyone should be doing but so few do. Besides, we don't want to go too fast and then have to start all over again." He rested a hand briefly on the treadmill rail. "We can focus on form, stability, and endurance. Never say never. One of these days if you wanna try and lift again, I promise I'll be there as your spotter. But we can start here if that works for you. I'm happy to keep up alongside ya."
alejandro: it will always baffle me that you consider me a fun time to be around, k.
alejandro: when are you free?
alejandro: i’ve been fine, per usual. shop is running nice, pauly is fussing about wanting to be employee of the month again…fucking pauly. other than that it’s been the same as always.
alejandro: how have you been?
knox: or maybe we're both boring but we can be boring as buds.
knox: this weekend? are you working?
knox: tell pauly to get his ass down to the gym. i kid you not he came for one session and then ghosted.
knox: i've been good, thanks. things are calming down now that all the holiday stuff is over, although the gym has been packed like usual this time of year. everyone with their resolutions and stuff.
