bsnchez

[bsnchez]

the bike ride was humbling for him. he prefers not to think about it. "did you?" he's skeptical, actually; assuming she's lying. "you can say if you didn't. i can take it."

"I was just thinking about our bike ride the other day. I had a really good time," Anya tried to keep it casual, an easygoing grin on her face as she reminisced on...earlier that week.

[bsnchez]

that prompted an eyebrow raise. she stops him in his tracks despite the rumbling of his stomach. "same old. thinking about me why?"

@bsnchez // "Brooks, hey!" Anya chirped as soon as she saw Brook enter the room. "I was just thinking about you, and you walked in. What a coincidence, right? How's your day been?"

[bsnchez]

"come up with a plan -- a good, airtight plan -- and i'll help you do whatever." he was only partially joking.

"You were supposed to help me break out of here last week. And look where we are--" she gestured sharply at their surroundings. "Still trapped in the damn woods!"

[bsnchez]

slowly, he blinked. it was far too early for him to be dealing with this. he lofted a brow, puffed a laugh. "yeah? why?"

@bsnchez // Eve spotted Brooks from across the room and marched right up to him. "I'm mad at you," she greeted him with her hands planted on her hips. She looked like a cartoon character.

[bsnchez]

brooks was also not lost. if he told himself that enough times, maybe it would start to be true. this was what he got, really, for not paying attention to anyone telling him how best to navigate the parks, and for ignoring any helpful advice thrown his way.

he saw beau through some foliage, heard the faint nose of them talking to themselves but couldn't quite make out the words. with a grimace, he stepped through some more overgrown parts of the terrain, to get close enough to talk. "you heading back?" he assumed beau knew the way.

Beau was not lost.

Nope, not at all. They were just... taking the long way. The scenic route, one might say. Yeah. They most definitely did NOT make a wrong turn on one of the trails and ended up on what seemed to be a lesser-used path, and they most assuredly were not confused about their compass and had already forgotten which direction they came from.

"Ah, crap." They turned this way and that, but trees were trees. They'd just have to pick a direction and figure their way out from there. "Th.....is way?" Beau pointed back where they'd come from... probably. "I'm gonna die out here," they stated frankly and without any real fear. "I'm gonna get lost and die of exposure. Or if I'm lucky I'll get attacked by a bear, or a... a cougar." They kicked some leaves at their feet. "Maybe I'll get a pet in before I'm mauled to death."

[bsnchez]

after the mortifying ordeal of getting measured for a bike, and covering what he could of his exposed skin in sun protection, brooks rested one foot on the pedal of the rental. "go first. how long is this thing, anyway?"

Anya hummed at Brooks' answer, then figured why not? "Perfect!" she decided with a clap of her hands. She plucked her bag from the backseat and fished out her sunscreen to hand to Brooks, then moved to unhitch her bike from the car, so they could head to the shop.

[bsnchez]

he hummed in agreement. despite a lot of things, he'd never been the one on the wrong side of an ankle monitor. he squinted at it, curiously. "is that gonna make me, like. an accomplice, or something?"

As much as she moaned and groaned his ear off, there was a reason Eve still gravitated toward Brooks. It was a relief to meet one person who wasn't a nature robot with sunshine and rainbows oozing from their pores. "Okay, fine. What about this? I get food with you, then you help me break this thing--" she gestured to her ankle bracelet -- "off and get out of here. Sound like a deal?"

[bsnchez]

"yeah, the bar's in hell, i get it." not to say he disagreed with her. having spent the majority of his life in a city with an abundance of options, this wasn't something he was easily adjusting to. "we have to eat at some point."

"You're joking, right?" Eve's gaze was disgusted as ever as she looked over at Brooks. This place wouldn't know fine dining if it slapped them across the face." She turned back to the town and shuddered at the multi-colored buildings, expecting a tumbleweed to breeze by any minute now.

[bsnchez]

"i know how to ride one." as most people do. did he bike in general was an entirely different question. in either case, it would be a welcome distraction. even if he were to complain the entire time. "if... you have sunscreen i can borrow then yeah, i guess."

"Do you bike?" Anya asked with a glance at Brooks as she pulled into a space. "They've got a rental place over here, and the trail entrance is right next to it." Hers was in the trunk ready to go, but she was down for whatever Brooklyn was most comfortable with.

[bsnchez]

"doesn't mean i'm excited for it," he countered quickly. "when i'm bitching about my wet socks, just know i'm blaming you."

she was perhaps enjoying this just a little. she'd been thrown in head first last year, it was the best way to learn. she smiled and nodded, "it is. that's all i've got for you, unfortunately. come on, you've been caught in the rain before."

[bsnchez]

@npbulletin brooks' mood is brightened by the fact that he isn't in uniform, but only just. " — think any of the food around here is better than what's at the dining hall?"

[bsnchez]

a lofted brow, and he trudged along next to her dragging his feet. "is that supposed to make it any better? it doesn't."

"yeah, you really should have." though, he's just as ill prepared. "let's hope not very."

[bsnchez]

that actually drew a laugh from him. "so running is flying on the ground?"

"...sure." and he knew what she meant, but he couldn't resist the sarcasm. "don't birds generally fly, not run?"

[bsnchez]

sobriety was, generally, a lot of ups and downs. and today in particular was a steep descent; he needed something to occupy his mind, which is the reason he'd even agreed to this in the first place. "as long as we do something, i don't really care what."

@npbulletin // "You know, there are a lot of trails around here," Anya posed as the drove into town. She'd offered to drive, so she could have all her equipment. "Walking, cycling. Would you be down for any of that?"

[bsnchez]

"...sure." and he knew what she meant, but he couldn't resist the sarcasm. "don't birds generally fly, not run?"

kaede tapped her chin in thought, searching her library of knowledge in her little brain for the perfect advice. "aha! always trust what nature tells you." she paused for dramatic effect. "if the birds are running away from where you're headed, you better run, too."

[bsnchez]

the snort that escaped him probably answered the question, whether it was facetious or not. no, she clearly wasn't the type; he could relate. the more selfish part of him was happy that he wasn't the only one suffering. "no. not really a nature fan."

"Well, obviously they're onto something. Do I look like the kind of woman who should be stranded in the woods like this? It's a crime against nature -- well, it's a crime against me the most, but the judge only cares about stupid shit." She paused on her tirade to take in the freaky little camper in front of her. "Why am I telling you anyway? You're probably soooooo happy to be here like the rest of the wilderness scouts or whatever."

[bsnchez]

"hm." a beat passed. all things considered, it was probably too early to be homesick, but he felt it all the same. "my sister uses oreos instead of graham crackers."

Wow, someone's really chatty right now, Anya couldn't help but notice. Maybe she caught Brooklyn on a bad day before. "Of course not, that should be considered a criminal offense. At that point, you might as well not waste a stick."