#i:nora

[fcreverlasting]

starter: open, no limit ( @ciderstarters ) location: penny park, penny lane

this is actually kind of mortifying. standing around waiting for passersby to walk just a little too close to her, knowing they’re purposefully giving her a wide berth on account of the stack of flyers in her hand. they probably think she wants to sell them something. she would say there’s no way she could, but she should have confidence in herself, she does it almost every day at the craft corner. but those customers come in looking for stationery, it’s a shot in the dark each time she suddenly reaches out, personally designed flyer in hand. “free book club, first friday of every month!”

[fcreverlasting]

starter: tabby ( @rainbowxsouls ) location: a hiking trail out of town

It feels like forever since she's been able to really get out into nature like this. With the weather cooler for the winter months and her schedule busier than ever around the holidays, there hadn't been ample opportunity to go for much more than a walk around Penny Park when it came to becoming one with Mother Nature, disconnecting herself from the pressures of adult life. In all honesty, she feels a little out of practice. "Do you think we could sit for a minute? The view from here is really nice, and... I could do with a pit stop." She laughs, hands on her hips, backpack weighing down on her shoulders.

[fcreverlasting]

starter: ariella ( @pastlifc ) location: craft corner

Nora quickly pushes away her sketchbook when she hears the staff door open. It’s only small, so it’s easy to shove underneath other loose papers, but how hurriedly she straightens her back, glances over with wide eyes and uneasy smile will tell Ariella she’s up to something regardless. “Hey. Quiet one today.” She says, gesturing to the empty store. It hasn’t been like this all day, but they’re hitting the lull between lunch and when most break free of school or work for the day. “Anything you want me to do while it’s like this?”

[fcreverlasting]

starter: elias ( @earlyblues ) location: shirley's diner

"You know, I've always thought it weird we have two places to get really good milkshakes in Cider Point," Nora starts, unaware that it isn't all that unusual, "and don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, but it's kind of statistically weird." Here she goes again, thinking out loud, mouth moving before her mind can catch up. "Did you know the word 'milkshake' originally described an alcoholic drink? It was more like an eggnog than what we know now. They became non-alcoholic pretty fast, but I can't imagine going to a nightclub now and ordering a milkshake."

[fcreverlasting]

starter: your choice ( @grxndvoile ) location: cake a diem, ocean avenue

She could get behind a holiday centred entirely around cake. Nora didn't have the sweetest tooth in the world, but at the sight of the advert, her mouth had watered. Now she's here, it's worse, the heavenly scent of freshly baked everything hitting her full force the moment she'd walked through the door. She already knows she's getting a whole cake, one to share with her family later tonight, but— "Excuse me, sorry to bug you, but are you getting an angel food cake today? What fruit topping are you getting? Strawberry is probably the safe choice, right?"

[fcreverlasting]

starter: atlas ( @wildestdrexms ) location: grand royale

A nightclub is the last place anyone would expect to find Nora, particularly on a busy Friday night, the crowd wild around her with the weight of the week finally off their shoulders. She’s nursing a glass of something fruity but non-alcoholic, provided by the bartender she was here to see, a rare insistence by Nora herself to do something out of her comfort zone whilst still having her safety net nearby.

“Did you know, bubble wrap was originally designed to be textured wallpaper? It was invented in the 50’s but it didn’t really take off — probably because no one wanted their walls to slowly deflate over time. Not to mention discoloration.”

[fcreverlasting]

starter: venus ( @earlyblues ) location: their parents' home

There's nothing necessarily wrong with a family dinner. She loves her father more than anything, and has over the years grown to the love the woman who makes him so happy. The food is always wonderful, the mood light, but Nora always seems to end up lost in her own head, worrying about the 'perfect family' expectations she can't meet. It's no secret she and Venus aren't the close knit sisters their parents would have loved for them to be, and though her father would never say it, Nora can't help but think sometimes he's a little disappointed — that she couldn't make this work, that she isn't more outgoing or charming. Conversation doesn't come easy to her, as much is obvious from the nervous tapping of her fingertips against her glass as they wait for their parents to return.

"So... How's work? Many people getting married lately?" She cringes, looking away.

[fcreverlasting]

starter: jasper ( @silkear3d ) location: cider point christmas festival

Nora had seen Jasper around in the library, but she couldn't say she really knew them. Though, thinking about it, with how much she keeps to herself, her chances of picking someone she knew were slim enough, let alone anyone she knew well. She should be grateful she can even pinpoint him at the festival and doesn't have to stand around with a sign like she's welcoming them off a plane. "Jasper, hi. Um... Surprise!" She nervously holds out the bag, inside a collectors edition of The Little Prince and a mug, a fox hand-painted on the outside enclosed in a neat box with a hot chocolate gift set. "I'm your Secret Santa."