new hope, kansas.

starters from the characters of nohopehq.

[sunnytandon]

open starter / @nohopestarters​

where: diner

“Please come sit,” Sunny gestures to the free spot across from him in the booth.  His meal was mostly finished but there was an untouched piece of cherry pie in front of him, the perfect scoop of ice cream atop was was threatening to melt.  “My waitress brought me a piece of pie and I don’t have the heart to tell her I can’t eat it.”  Between being a vegetarian and unable to eat gluten his choices at the diner was pretty limited but he couldn’t deny they had the best cup of coffee around.  “I usually take it to go for my kid but she’s at a friend’s house and letting a perfectly good slice of pie go to waste seems like a crime.”  

[asherxbennett]

where: main street

status: open @nohopestarters​

“Alright, let’s just think this whole thing through here,” Andrew started saying, crossing his hands on his lap as he took a small breathe to organize his thoughts on the matter. “Women generally likes flowers and small gestures, that clearly shows that we care and think of them, right? So why the hell is she still mad at me for forgetting her birthday?” Granted forgetting his sister’s birthday was bad, but she clearly was just making a big case of that fact, right?

.

[emeckart]

The fall was typically Emilia’s favorite season. She loved the crispness in the air, the way the leaves changed color just so – the way that the summer nights faded and things started to settle as routine took charge in everyone’s lives again. But this year, things felt different. She couldn’t help but feel like the earlier onset of dusk was more ominous than it ever had been, that there was an unsettling aura in the air that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. New Hope had suffered so much tragedy in the past year. Even her favorite things didn’t have the same allure as they previously had. Waiting for her name to be called by the barista, Emilia sat at one of the cafe’s tables. “Isn’t the weather supposed to change, soon? It’s supposed to be ninety degrees on Saturday. That can’t be right.”

[masonzedler]

Mason likes the late shift at The Grill. There were usually less customers and that meant that the time he spent working while on his shift was pretty minimal. He makes sure everything is clean, of course, and bitches about whatever changes someone made to his kitchen while he was gone; but mostly, he just sits on the counter and tried to throw a rubber ball into the trashcans increasingly complicated ways.

Tonight is been the slowest of the week so far and his kitchen has been untouched for about two hours. He’s not even watching the door when the little bell jingles, but he definitely sees who comes in.

“Nope,” he says immediately. “Don’t even think about it. Your usual is disgusting and I just cleaned the flat top.”

[elijahbcktt]

open starter / @nohopestarters​ location: on the rocks in new hope park content warning: mentions of murder

“What other evidence do they have?” Elijah continued on, fingers lightly rounding the beer bottle before taking another swig, eyes mindlessly trained on the Jayhawks game on the tv. “A child pointing fingers at her older brother who simply had the affinity for heavy metal music? It just sounds like a reach to me.” He didn’t know Molly, and he barely knew Scott but he knew Mary Ellis. And it didn’t make sense for Scott to murder his sweet mother who would have done anything for her children.

“Not to mention the lack of consistency… Different murder weapons… And no disrespect to him but without a high school education I doubt he’s smart enough to devise multiple methods to murder his family. Usually messy murders have only one weapon because multiple weapons… the user would need a strong sense of organization… Like you get what I’m sayin’ right?”

[harlanwest]

open starter / @nohopestarters​

where: outside the donut shop

With an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips Asher was crouched near the alleyway between the trash cans.  He had a chunk of glazed donut between his fingers outstretched like an offering to the alleycat he’s trying to get the attention of.  While he knew he couldn’t snatch up every stray he came across he hadn’t seen this one before.  They were a black cat with a little tuxedo of white across it’s chest.  “C’mere buddy,” he mumbles, his words muffled by the cigarette.  It’s then he looks over his shoulder and sees somebody watching his attempts to lure the cat.  

“Y’know just out here making friends,” he chuckles as he nods towards the cat now perched on one of the dumpsters.  

[yonaisnotonfire]

@nohopestarters​

“…Frick on a fucking stick. Have you seen a box of popsicle sticks and clothes hangers? Sorry, craft sticks. Popsicle is the name of the company, and I tragically didn’t get to lick all of the popsicle off of these sticks, so craft stick, it is,” Yona said, not quite caring whether the person nearest her actually wanted to listen to her ramble on about her latest problem on top of whatever else came to mind. If she had a problem, it was important not to keep it inside. ‘Conceal, don’t feel’ wasn’t a healthy way of going about life unless you wanted to cover a fantasy land with trolls in snow. Waving her hands around in a manner that did not connect in any particular way to what she was saying, Yona continued: “I need the hangers more than the sticks, but if you find a box without the sticks, then it’s probably not mine. Oh, well, I guess if there’s an unclaimed box of clothes hangers around, I’ll take that too. Hangers are expensive, you know? Agh. Wait, are you thinking about the big, uh, news thing? We can call this a good distraction from that.”

[jasbutler]

open starter / @nohopestarters​ where / the diner, obviously  what / jas may or may not be allowed near the kitchen for obvious reasons. tagging below, but content warning small kitchen fire ! 

“okay, i can explain - “ she started, even as she tried to figure out how the fuck one was supposed to use a fire extinguisher. there was a reason she was stuck on the floor, taking orders and serving pop instead of in the kitchen, where anyone could accidentally set something on fire. 

( who left a bag of chips that close to the burner? why wasn’t anyone there to pick up after her? this was insane, truly. ) 

the diner had been empty, but of course this would be when someone sauntered in. covered in what could only be described as ‘fire extinguisher juice’ ( did it have a name? ) she finally put the extinguisher down, watching the stovetop warily in case it started again. “okay, i can’t really explain it but like, it could be worse, right? hope you didn’t want a burger right now.”