Listening to the girl, there was a sigh that passed his lips a bit, his eyes rolling as well. “Not quite woods police, but as close as you’d really want to get to them.” He told her, already assuming that she was just like everyone else in this town. Moving his staff back to his side, he stayed where he was in order to listen to what else she might have to say. “Well, if you get lost, don’t cry for help. I’ll give you a warning it happens to people about ten minutes North, so good luck.” He spoke, waving his arm for her to continue on.
❝ that’s terribly ominous of you ! ❞ kate’s head tilted to the side , lips pressing together in a firm line. ❝ how do you know that i’m not looking for the woods police - - crap - - park rangers ! maybe i’m in need of assistance . . or ! i’m sniffing for trouble and trying to start . . . a forest fire ? ❞ she winced , knowing her mouth was getting away from her. this guy , whoever she was , didn’t seem to like her very much , and she certainly wasn’t doing herself any favors. ❝ well , if i do get lost , i’m perfectly capable of handling myself ! ❞ her words had a slightly defensive edge , which was quickly followed up by a feeble ❝ which way’s north ? ❞
Garrett’s mind had been going over the list of things he may need if he had to go into town when he heard a noise near him, stopping him in his tracks. As the sound of footsteps grew, It only took him a breath to move his staff out to his side, stopping whoever was in such a hurry. “I’d be careful going out to far. Most people tend to get lost in the woods with the further they go.” Last thing he wanted to do was deal with someone who went too far into the woods.
truthfully , she probably should have prepared better for a run through the woods. she wasn’t exactly well-acquainted with the miles and miles of greenery around her. but , she was always seeking out a challenge , and that meant switching it up from the slog through town and relocating her work out . heart thumping and breath labored , she ran at what she believed to be a record breaking pace . the focus on the trail ahead distracted her slightly from the words of a stranger , but the extended arm was a wakeup hall. skidding to a halt , kate paused for breath. looking over to her new companion , she placed her hands firmly on her hips.
❝ what are you , the woods police ? ❞ she grinned at her wit , before quickly remembering that woods police existed , and were called park rangers. her tone switched from humorous to sincere as she addressed the man again. ❝ i think i can handle a little jog , but thank you . ❞
Georgie stared at the offered bag as if it was a dead rat. “Do you know how much sugar and fat is in that? No thank you,” she raised a brow and shook her head. “The only way I get to avoid having to go to the gym is by eating healthy, which that is not.”
❝ yeeesh . yikes. ❞ kate quickly retracted her arm , now cradling the pastry bag close to her as if it had been at risk of injury . ❝ i couldn’t live like that , so more power to you , i guess ? ❞ she raised her brow , shuffling her weight from one foot to the other. ❝ i’ll just keep the extra and . . . eat it , and then you won’t ever need to give me that scary look again . yeah ? ❞
well, lincoln definitely wasn’t someone to pass up the opportunity of free food. “don’t mind if i do.” and he took it from the woman’s hand, more than happy he didn’t have to get up and get something on his own. lincoln used to take things for granted – everything. but as a changed man, one bite from the muffin was enough to send him into ectacy, melting back onto the park bench as he took another bite, not looking up at his giver. “you must be a nice person to get another muffin and give it to someone else. man – where’d you even get this?”
kate crossed her arms triumphantly as the bag was taken from her hand. people could be finnicky or weird about receiving random food from random people , and so she was simply glad for a taker. she pressed her coffee cup to her lips , half-nodding as she took a sip. ❝ i’m like , the nicest. ❞ she let out a hum of a laugh , ❝ modest , too ! ❞ kate gestured vaguely behind her , potentially in the direction of the coffee shop she had walked out of , but also potentially not. ❝ i got it back there ! ❞
“you really think i’d say no to free food?” truman laughed, grinning as he took the muffin from her hands. “thanks, kate.” truman grinned as he unwrapped the pastry, taking a large bite immediately. “now, what’s a girl like you doin’ in a place like this?” he joked.
❝ yeah , i totally did . ❞ cue the overly exaggerated nod , as she hops beside him , grinning as the bag is taken from her hand. ❝ i was like , ‘man, i really hope i can keep this second muffin all for myself. i know ! i’ll offer it to truman because he never mooches my food ever.’ ❞ she wiggles her shoulders , smiling. kate’s face shifts dramatically as the question registers. ❝ definitely not avoiding a mountain of paperwork , that’s what ! and as your designated breakfast-giver this morning , you have help me to continue not avoiding doing that. ❞ she pouts , eyes widening and lashes fluttering.
❝ hey , do you want this ? ❞ arm extends , offering up a brown pastry bag. ❝ it’s a chocolate chip muffin. i don’t know why they gave me an extra - - probably because i’m not a little demon during the morning rush , but still. i don’t really need two muffins , & i’m not big on food waste so … ❞ she waves the bag a bit , smiling at her companion hopefully. ❝ here. happy thursday ! ❞
that’s kate lyon walking down the street, the twenty-four year old, who looks like zoey deutch. here in apple peak, they work as an administrative assistant. some say she acts like lady kayley from quest for camelot, since she can be determined, but also a little bit recalcitrant. — carlie, twenty-two, est, she/her.
hello pals ! i’m carlie and this is my lil babe kate / kayley ( honestly if you’ve seen the hidden quest for camelot i’ll be so happy and tbh a lil impressed. it’s not wildly popular and its rottentomatoes score is abysmal )
tw: death , trauma & anxiety
a lil info on kayley before i move on to her apple peak life ! so kayley is the daughter of sir lionel ( a relatively obscure knight of the round table , though he is related to lancelot so that’s cool ! ) who basically has always dreamed of being a knight like her father , completely ignores gender norms and social conventions of the time ( a true queen ) and has the opportunity to live her dream when she goes on a quest ( get it ? ) to retrieve excalibur and save camelot !
anyway , kate is the only child and was raised under the belief that she could be anything she wanted to be. this was reinforced heavily by her father , who was a police officer . watching him protect others always inspired her. she wanted to be brave just like her father was.
as a child, kate was always a very energetic and outdoorsy girl. she often played pretend, casting herself as the epic hero in all of her tales. more often than not, she’d return home with scraped knees and absolutely filthy play clothes.
her father was tragically killed in the line of duty, breaking kate’s heart and vowing that she would make him proud .
kate decided that the word can’t no longer existed , she subverted authority at every turn , except where her mother was concerned. kate’s mom began to sort of dictate kate’s steps , wanting her to remain safe and looked after
her mother’s trauma related to losing her husband was what prevented kate from applying for police academy. instead, she did the smart & safe thing and attended college , where she majored in history and read about all of history’s greatest heroes, hoping one day to become one of them.
after graduating , she took a position as an administrative assistant for the apple peak police department. it felt like the closest thing she could get to ( for now ) to walking adjacent to her father’s footsteps.
kate is now pursuing her master’s degree in medieval studies
personality & trivia
kate is probably the most headstrong person you’ll ever meet. don’t tell her that she can’t do something. just don’t do it. she’s so brave and willing to sacrifice everything for the people and causes that she cares about , perhaps a little recklessly , as she does have the tendency for recklessness. she has the tendency to idealize people , and see the best in them even when they might not deserve it. she speaks without thinking , mostly too loudly , but truly she has a good heart. kindness and compassion and a hope for a humanity lie at the very core of her being.
she’s prone to a lot of anxiety , particularly about the future.
hyperfixates a lot !!
loves animals ( i forgot to mention this but she grew up kind of on a farm )
not great at relationships , but she really tries. ( she’s just kind of a bi mess tbh )
possibly connections
role model / mentor
friends ( she needs them , and fully believes that she’s terrible at making them )
